Whiteness, Feminism and the Absurd in Contemporary British and US Poetry

Jenna Clake’s study characterises and defines a new aesthetic of Absurdism in twenty-first century British and United States poetry, one which specifically focuses on Whiteness and feminism. This book presents a survey of current Absurdist poetry that focuses on Whiteness and gender, identifying key characteristics, and the social and political contexts that have led to the prominence of this aesthetic in British and US poetry, in turn demonstrating how feminine and feminist perspectives help to comprehend the aesthetic. The study highlights significant poets who are exploring Whiteness through the Absurd in their writing, and literary works, before moving on to discuss key poets: Jennifer L. Knox, Caroline Bird and Emily Berry. The book will be of considerable interest to a range of students of English Literatures (British and United States) – as well as those more concerned with Absurdism, the Surreal, Whiteness Studies, and larger matters of the relationship between poetry and popular culture.