Second Words: Selected Critical Prose, 1960-1982Fifty of Margaret Atwood's finest essays and reviews from 1960 to 1982 are included in this collection of her key critical writings. Wit and originality infuse discussions of the writing process, literary life, and such literary figures as Adrienne Rich, Northrop Frye, Anne Sexton, and E. L. Doctorow. Atwood's perspectives on Canadian nationalism and the American dream emerge, as do her controversial attitudes about feminism, sexism, and contemporary North American life. This largest collection of her critical prose showcases the human insight and sharp intellect that has distinguished Atwood as one of the most compelling writers of the 21st century. |
Contents
Introduction | 11 |
Some Sun for this Winter | 21 |
Apocalyptic Squawk from a Splendid | 27 |
Aleksandr Blok | 33 |
Some Old some New some Boring some Blew | 63 |
2222 | 70 |
9 | 77 |
Nationalism Limbo and the Canadian Club | 83 |
Ten Green Bottles Ladies Escorts | 268 |
Woman on the Edge of Time Living in the Open | 272 |
19771982 | 279 |
A History of Prairie Women | 283 |
A SelfPortrait in Letters | 287 |
The Wars | 290 |
Diary Down Under | 296 |
Pat Lowther and John Thompson | 307 |
Eleven Years of Alphabet | 90 |
Love in a Burning Building | 97 |
19721976 | 103 |
Travels Back | 107 |
The Poetry of John Newlove | 114 |
Mathews and Misrepresentation | 129 |
Reaney Collected | 151 |
Diving Into the Wreck | 160 |
Blown Figures | 164 |
HalfLives | 167 |
Whats so Funny? Notes on Canadian Humour | 175 |
Paradoxes and Dilemmas | 190 |
Poems Selected and New | 205 |
Flying | 210 |
The Curse of Eve Or What I Learned in School | 215 |
Some Aspects of the Supernatural in Canadian Fiction | 229 |
Of Woman Born | 254 |
St Lawrence Blues | 259 |
Silences | 313 |
Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams | 316 |
Valgardsonland | 320 |
Loon Lake | 325 |
Witches | 329 |
An End to Audience? | 334 |
Stories of Contemporary Black Women Writers | 358 |
Julys People | 363 |
Falling in Place | 366 |
An Introduction to The Edible Woman | 369 |
Surviving the Eighties | 371 |
An Address | 393 |
Northrop Frye Observed | 398 |
Poems Twice Told | 407 |
Writing the Male Character | 412 |
Acknowledgements | 433 |
| 437 | |
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Adrienne Rich Alphabet American angel Anne Sexton artist Audrey Thomas Australian Ayesha become believe better Blais called Canada Canadian humour Canadian literature Canadian poetry course critics cultural dead death dream Edible Woman English fact feel female feminist fiction figure Frye hero human humour images imagination instance James Reaney Jay Macpherson jokes joual kind Lady Bellamy landscape laugher and audience Lawrence Blues literary live look MacEwen magazine magic magician male character Marie-Claire Blais Mathews mean monster mother Muse myth never Newlove Northrop Frye novel novelist perhaps poems poet poetry political published Purdy Quebec reader Reaney Reaney's Reprinted by permission Review sexual society someone sometimes story Survival Sylvia Plath talk tell there's things Ti-Pit Tillie Olsen Toronto trying turn universe voice wabeno wendigo woman writer women words