Masks Outrageous and Austere: Culture, Psyche, and Persona in Modern Women Poets

"[Walker’s] well-focused, clearly written essays demonstrate the conformity and the challenges to conventional expectations defining ‘women poets.’ Walker’s work makes a significant contribution to an often neglected area of American literary history." —Library Journal

"Based on close reading and explication of the texts, Walker brings fresh insights to each poet."—Choice

"... Walker has devised an original analysis that puts a new spin on the works and lives of these poets." —New Directions for Women

Concentrating on Amy Lowell, Sara Teasdale, Elinor Wylie, H.D., Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Louise Bogan, Walker analyzes the highly stylized self-images—from Lowell's androgyne to Millay's body-conscious romantic—projected by these women who attempted to renegotiate the terms upon which they could function successfully as poets.