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The Wanton Sublime: A Florilegium of Whethers and Wonders
In her dazzling third volume of poetry, The Wanton Sublime , Anna Rabinowitz creates nothing short of a new genre of utterance as she cuts through pieties and myths to get at the essential humanity of the Virgin Mary, and, ultimately, of all women.
The Wanton Sublime is an ""anthology"" of texts and commentaries that propels us on a breathtaking journey mapped by questions, conversations, and speculationsa journey to the very foundations of womanhood and motherhood. Again and again Mary, exemplar of the feminine, quintessential mother, bearer/birther of divinity is re-visioned and re-defined; she is made kindred to Io, to Europa and to an ancient Egyptian woman who may have been the first unflinchingly assertive feminist. Rabinowitz investigates Mary as concept and as fact, as symbol and as flesh-and-blood female. What does it mean to be chosen? How does one engage with otherness? What forces operate when one's life is interrupted? Are there possibilities of alternative narratives? How does one process the condition of not knowing? Linguistically brilliant and stylistically inventive, this daring work makes the universal particular, the particular universal. The Wanton Sublime explores the burden, the dilemma and the glory of being chosen as it leads us to a renewed appreciation of what it means to be alive and a woman.
The Wanton Sublime is an ""anthology"" of texts and commentaries that propels us on a breathtaking journey mapped by questions, conversations, and speculationsa journey to the very foundations of womanhood and motherhood. Again and again Mary, exemplar of the feminine, quintessential mother, bearer/birther of divinity is re-visioned and re-defined; she is made kindred to Io, to Europa and to an ancient Egyptian woman who may have been the first unflinchingly assertive feminist. Rabinowitz investigates Mary as concept and as fact, as symbol and as flesh-and-blood female. What does it mean to be chosen? How does one engage with otherness? What forces operate when one's life is interrupted? Are there possibilities of alternative narratives? How does one process the condition of not knowing? Linguistically brilliant and stylistically inventive, this daring work makes the universal particular, the particular universal. The Wanton Sublime explores the burden, the dilemma and the glory of being chosen as it leads us to a renewed appreciation of what it means to be alive and a woman.
- GenresPoetry
94 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 7, 2007
Anna Rabinowitz’ The Wanton Sublime approaches its topic from so many different angles, and with so many different poetic approaches, that the reader, confronted with the unfamiliar, could find entry into these poems somewhat difficult.
But instead, the overall effect of Anna’s simultaneously rigorous yet playful use of language-- alliterations running seemingly further than they could go, but working; breaking lines down to their crux without abandoning meaning; fearlessly extending them; doing anything but cleaving to the standard look and feel of a poem--rivets the reader.
With utter frankness and blunt honesty, and a generous helping of righteous anger and justice-seeking fury, The Wanton Sublime is both unique in its style, and hauntingly familiar in its meaning--the search for identity, both intensely personal and manifestly archetypal. By the time we get to the magisterial “It Is Time to Speak of the Lies,” the work has taken on a feeling of magnitude, without ever becoming arrogant, self-regarding or strident. It is a difficult thing to do, but in this case, done magnificently.
But instead, the overall effect of Anna’s simultaneously rigorous yet playful use of language-- alliterations running seemingly further than they could go, but working; breaking lines down to their crux without abandoning meaning; fearlessly extending them; doing anything but cleaving to the standard look and feel of a poem--rivets the reader.
With utter frankness and blunt honesty, and a generous helping of righteous anger and justice-seeking fury, The Wanton Sublime is both unique in its style, and hauntingly familiar in its meaning--the search for identity, both intensely personal and manifestly archetypal. By the time we get to the magisterial “It Is Time to Speak of the Lies,” the work has taken on a feeling of magnitude, without ever becoming arrogant, self-regarding or strident. It is a difficult thing to do, but in this case, done magnificently.
May 30, 2009
The poems that I loved more than made up for the ones I wasn't so crazy about or just didn't understand.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews