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LOWELL

Lowell, Amy (1922), The Sisters, North American Review

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WALKER

Walker, Cheryl (1991); from Masks outrageous and Austere: Culture, Psyche, and Persona in
Modern Women Poets.

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KOLODNY

Kolodny, Annette (1987), The influence of Anxiety: Prolegomena to a Study of the production
of Poetry by Women. A Gift of Tongues: Critical Challenges in Contemporary American Poetry.

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Masks Outrageous and Austere: Culture, Psyche, and Persona in

WALKER

Modern Women Poets

p. 20

When Lowell wrote her important poem The Sisters, late in her life, she went back to
Sappho, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Emily Dickinson. In The Sisters she certainly
acknowledges the postive contribution each of these women made, and she also revives them
literally in her imagination, enjoying a romp with each, using the social energies that made her
such a famous hostess. However, she also writes that they leave her <<Sad and self-distrustful>>.
It must be said that Lowell, like H.D and Louise Bogan, among others, was interested in
superseding as well as giving acknowledgement to a feminine literary tradition. Furthermore,
she associated such a feminine tradition with marginality, ascribing to men the primary
authority of poetry. Walker, (1991:20)

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Lowells purpose for writing The Sisters

KOLODNY

p. 9

At least in part, <<What it is that makes us do it>> and what it is that women often do when
they write, is precisely what Lowells <<The Sisters>> is all about, that is, the womans poet
repeated need to assert for herself some validating female tradition and to repossess its voices
for her own needs. In the continental United States, at least, this is the stance with which
womens poetry begins. Kolodny, (1987:9)

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WALKER

When Lowell wrote her () poem The Sisters () she went back to Sappho, Elizabeth Barrett
Browning, and Emily Dickinson. () she acknowledges the positive contributions each of these
women made and she also revives them () in her imagination. () Lowell, like H.D and Louise
Bogan () was interested in superseding, as well as giving acknowledgement to a feminine
literary tradition () she associates such a feminine tradition with marginality, ascribing to men
the primary authority for poetry. () Here, Lowell brings together three strong poets instead of
one. She also acknowledges the autobiographical focus of womens poetry () The daunting
presence of male achievement continued to haunt Lowells imagination throughout her career
() at the end of the poem.

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Lowells approach to explain womens marginality in the

KOLODNY

world of Literature

Lowell anticipated the recent feminist critique of Bloomian poetics, when in 1925, she applied
his question for why do women write poems? to we, women who write poetry. She explains
why there have been so few women poets, by consulting a precursor/sisterhood that includes
Sappho, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Emily Dickinson, but they can not answer for her. She
asserts a sisterly intimacy. She also accepts the inadequacy of that sisterhood to provide solace.
So, by invoking a femaly history modelled on sisterhood, Lowell renders misprision. Even
though the poem is composed, it corrects nothing that her precursors/sisters have written.
In part What it is that makes us do it, and what it is women often do when they write, is
precisely what Lowells The Sisters is about, that is the womans need to assert for herself a
validating female tradition.

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Lowells desire to express her thoughts about poetrys prevailing

WALKER

Stereotypes by means of reviving three famous female poets.

As in every aspect of life, there are gender stereotypes, these can also be found in the world of
Literature, where, we can find stereotypes such as the one that states that only men are the
primary authorities of poetry. Because of this, Lowell wanted to give meaning to a female
tradition, by expressing her thoughts about those so common stereotypes, by means of
referring to three amazing female poetry authors: Sappho, Browning, and Dickinson, and the
important contributions they have done to the field of Literature, even though she rejects most
of the literary traditions that they present.

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Lowells answer to Why do women write Poetry?

KOLODNY

Lowell was a feminist critic of Bloomians poetic question of Why do women write poetry?.
As a way of making her ideas and critics clear, she applied this question to We, women who
write poetry. By this poem, Lowell explained why there were so few female poets. For this to
be answered, Lowells asks a sisterhood of female poets, formed by Sappho, Browning and
Dickinson, though they can not give their own answers to the question. But, later in the poem,
she accepts that these sisters will not be able to answer her so important question, and
farewells this poets, expressing how fond of them she is, even though she has never met them
and even though they are not capable of answering what she wants to know.
Basically, Lowell wanted to reaffirm for her own relief, a validation for a female tradition, so
that she could be able to repossess its voices and own ideas (from the female poets) for her
own needs (to know why women write poetry).

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http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/amylowell/sisters.htm

Author: Amy Lowell

Student: Antonella Nanini
MUN: 2693