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baedeker's review against another edition
3.0
"The Glass Essay" and "The Gender of Sound" were wonderful, but the rest left me ambivalent
stephanielam27's review against another edition
3.0
I love reading Carson in one sitting: it’s like a spiritual revelation (“The Truth About God” had some fetching imagery; I read “TV Men: Artaud” in one breath). Littered with anachronisms that were at times witty and at times forced. Wasn’t a big fan of the bookended essays or “The Fall of Rome” unfortunately- veered more academic than poetic.
“eyes stacked with the motions of roses in that other dawn and a torn coolness-“ (67)
“stuffing her shadow into her mouth as she goes” (105)
“The doubling and interchangeability of mouth engenders a creature in whom sex is cancelled out by sound and sound is cancelled out by sex...Baubo’s mouths appropriate each other.” (136, from “The Gender of Sound”)
“eyes stacked with the motions of roses in that other dawn and a torn coolness-“ (67)
“stuffing her shadow into her mouth as she goes” (105)
“The doubling and interchangeability of mouth engenders a creature in whom sex is cancelled out by sound and sound is cancelled out by sex...Baubo’s mouths appropriate each other.” (136, from “The Gender of Sound”)
iammyowngodandmartyr's review against another edition
4.0
The Gender Of Sound truly saved this whole collection for me, I cared very little for the rest. I like Carson's work most when she talks about grammar and this book just had a lot on anger and emptiness :/ or maybe I just prefer her essays to her poetry. Also, and she has always flouted the Oxford comma, but this time it's in the TITLE and that's almost too much for me.
gal1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
alaynaab's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
buer's review against another edition
5.0
An incredible collection of poetry capped off by a powerful essay about men's fear of women, specifically their voices. The essay seemed a bit misplaced in a book of poetry, but it is easily read as a justification for Carson's choice to speak. The title of the first poem (which could be considered a short epic) proclaims itself an essay, so really the justification for an actual essay is two-fold.
The Glass Essay is a thing of beauty. I have found myself recommending it to everyone and it is a poem that I see myself revisiting time and time again. Its realness, its chapters, and especially the visual device of "nudes" that she includes is powerful, beautiful, and personal.
If you only read part of it, read The Glass Essay,/i>, but the entire thing is worth reading.
The Glass Essay is a thing of beauty. I have found myself recommending it to everyone and it is a poem that I see myself revisiting time and time again. Its realness, its chapters, and especially the visual device of "nudes" that she includes is powerful, beautiful, and personal.
If you only read part of it, read The Glass Essay,/i>, but the entire thing is worth reading.
cecireda's review against another edition
4.0
Anne Carson is always great.
The Glass Essay and The Gender of Sound are just impeccable.
The Glass Essay and The Gender of Sound are just impeccable.