Project Director
Quinlan, Alex
Department Examiner
Shaheen, Aaron
Publisher
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Place of Publication
Chattanooga (Tenn.)
Abstract
The blanket term “confessional poetry” is often used to describe verse that is widely personal and self-revealing in nature. Controversial even amongst its own founding poets, confessional poetry is an extension of lyricism that is associated with American figures who wrote personal poetry in the 1950s and 1960s. This group of poets consisted of Robert Lowell, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, and W. D. Snodgrass, among others. The creative portion of this thesis consists of a collection of original poetry inspired by confessional poetry. The introductory essay discusses the current state of poetry, the confessional movement, as well as the idea that content shapes the form of a poem—in the same way that personal experience shapes poetry.
Degree
B. A.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
Date
5-2023
Subject
Poetry--History and criticism; Confession in literature; Poetry, Modern--21st century
Discipline
Poetry
Document Type
Theses
Extent
36 leaves
DCMI Type
Text
Language
English
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Date Available
5-6-2026
Recommended Citation
Wells, Taylor, "An archaeology of the self: how experience shapes poetry" (2023). Honors Theses.
https://scholar.utc.edu/honors-theses/402
Department
Dept. of English