Elizabeth Jennings Summary

Having published since the early 1950s some twenty books of verse (including two substantial collections), together with several anthologies and critical works, Elizabeth Jennings is a well-known writ... Read more

In the following excerpt, Gregory praises Jennings for her unique and strong voice. The recent Zeitgeist in American culture is of suburban colors, manners, dress. Those who are currently publishin... Read more

In the following review, Skelton argues that Jennings's penchant for simplifying and her coy tone weaken an otherwise admirable work. The annual P.E.N. Anthology of New Poems usually contriv... Read more

In the review below, Clayre argues that these experimental poems do not reflect Jennings's skill or her voice. Miss Elizabeth Jennings, in The Mind has Mountains, takes the reader through an... Read more

In the review below, Lucas finds fault with Extending the Territory, arguing that the poetry is vapid, the language unvaried, and the subject matter uninteresting. With Elizabeth Jennings’s ... Read more

In the review below, Gilbert argues that while Jennings's culture is foreign to Americans, her work is of great merit and importance. Though she not only thinks about the significance of his... Read more

In the following review of Tributes, Maxwell praises Jennings's subtle use of simile and her successful use of form. This is a craftswoman working, so watch the vowels;   &#... Read more

In the excerpt below, Bradley provides an overview of Jennings's career, placing her work in the context of other Movement writers. Elizabeth Jennings is unique in two particular ways: she i... Read more

In the following review, O'Neill argues that although there is a repetitive quality to Jennings'’s work, her writing deserves praise. At one stage in Praises, Elizabeth Jenning... Read more

Critical Essay by Peter Scupham In Consequently I Rejoice, a substantial collection of eighty-eight poems, experiences are ordered with that meticulous precision we have grown to expect, and the whol... Read more

Critical Essay by Michael Mott Elizabeth Jennings has been accused at times of quietness, if not tameness, but it would be grossly unfair to accuse the poet of The Animals' Arrival of any such... Read more

Critical Essay by Alan Brownjohn It's good to see a poet breaking back out of a lean period. Elizabeth Jennings, one remembers, was brought in as the 'sensitive' dimension to the... Read more

Critical Essay by Terry Eagleton Elizabeth Jennings's [Growing-Points] reveals most of her strengths and fewer than usual of her weaknesses. All the Jennings hallmarks are here: scrupulous dep... Read more

Critical Essay by Anne Stevenson [Elizabeth Jennings's] title, Consequently I Rejoice, is a brave and appropriate one for her new collection, in which she shows herself better able to face up ... Read more