Edan St. Vincent Millay

1441 Words3 Pages

The famous poet and playwright Edna St. Vincent Millay once said, “Life is a quest and love a quarrel”. In this quote, Millay explains how one can spend their entire life trying to discover the true meaning of life, while love is simply a continuing series of disagreements. The remarkable life of Edna St. Vincent Millay is extremely important to understand in order to fully appreciate her works. Throughout Millay’s life, she remained true to herself and her beliefs, and this dedication was translated through her stimulating and inspiring poems and plays. Edna St. Vincent Millay thoroughly expresses both the influences of the Modernism Era as well as her life experiences in the sonnet collection, Fatal Interview, and the poems Justice Denied in Massachusettes and Huntsman, What Quarry? which presents a confident, yet insecure theme of the tragedies and bliss that love brings.

Modernism is a style of literature that was increasing in popularity in the years of 1915 to 1946. Modernism poets defied the styles of straightforward and standard writings that were popular in the 19th century. Instead, they chose to tell fragmented stories and poems that reflected society in the era of World War I and challenge popular beliefs. (Dugan). They were experimental and unique while they also demonstrated a poetic license. When she first started writing, Millay was clearly a modernist. She acted as a bohemian figure that was active in the problems of society, which was displayed in the various events in which she protested. Millay felt strongly about the Sacco-Vanzetti case, which involved two Italian immigrants who were accused of robbery and murder. Millay expresses what happened in the poem, Justice Denied in Massachusettes:

Let us sit h...

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