The Laura (Riding) Jackson Reader

by Laura (Riding) Jackson, Laura Riding, Elizabeth Friedmann, et al.

In a single volume, the essential work of a major Modernist poet and thinker. Some see Laura Riding and Laura (Riding) Jackson as virtually two separate writers, the former a strikingly original Modernist poet and critic, the latter a supposedly reclusive thinker on man and woman, language, meaning, and truth. However, encountering her work in this rich cross-section, one discovers a remarkable consistency of theme developing throughout, from the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892552638
• ISBN13: 9780892552634
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Persea Books
• Length: 386 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A Brilliant Woman's Quest for Truth

I first read Laura (Riding) Jackson in the Poetry Speaks anthology. Her bio made me curious. Why did she abandon writing poetry in 1939 and what truth did she spend the rest of her life trying to express? The Laura (Riding) Jackson Reader contains two sections: writings from before 1939 and those from after 1961. The first section includes examples of her poetry, which I find dense. I'm not the only one who found her hard to understand. In her early essays she says difficult poetry is the only way to express the truth of being. The first section also contains some anti-stories, where Riding pokes fun at the craft of story writing. The second section contains essays written after Laura (Riding) Jackson concluded poetry could not convey the truth she wanted to express. What is this truth? It is using words correctly to express the mind of the communicator. Laura (Riding) Jackson's writing is difficult and not for everyone. However, those who read her will be rewarded by the ideas of a truly original thinker.