This is a selection of essays on various topics, mostly literary or related to 1970s and 1980s feminism from the now-deceased poet Adrienne Rich. The only real issue I could imagine having with the collection — from an already predisposed to agree in broad terms position — is that like any collection of selected essays, stories, or poems, there’s going to be choice made to satisfy broad expectations and if you want a more targeted to concentrated collection, you’ll have to find it in the original texts.
For the most part you end up having a relatively interesting and safe collection here by way of Adrienne Rich’s various interests. Rich’s story is both well-known and familiar. Like a lot of women, she made her way into young adulthood with same kind of heteronormative momentum that so many people did (and absolutely still do) and especially in her time there weren’t the readily available tools and resources to better understood her sexuality and sexual orientation. And so she had to figure a lot of that out for herself. Her essays regarding her role as a mother and wife suggest that she basically became aware in a more meaningful way the issues of these paths, and so she found a way out of them onto a more authentic path.
Because this book is interesting and intelligent, but not expressly academic, it’s quite readable. The whole thing begins with a few essays about reading, including a long one on Jane Eyre that is satisfying in a lot of ways. I am not much of a reader of poetry, so a collection of essays that gives me indirect and direct insight into the mind of a poet is fascinating and more useful to me than trying to work my way through their poems.
(Photo: https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Essays-Culture-Politics-Poetry/dp/039365236X/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=adrienne+rich&qid=1549922658&s=gateway&sr=8-2)