description Spoon River Anthology Overview
Spoon River Anthology is a collection of short, free-verse poems published in 1915 by American poet Edgar Lee Masters. The book consists of a series of epitaphs delivered by the deceased residents of the fictional small town of Spoon River, Illinois. Through these posthumous monologues, Masters depicts the interconnected lives, secrets, and hypocrisies of rural American society. The work was highly influential in the development of modernist poetry and is considered a classic of American literature.
help Spoon River Anthology FAQ
What is the basic premise of Spoon River Anthology?
It is a collection of short, free-verse poems published in 1915 that consists of epitaphs spoken by the deceased residents of a fictional small town. The interconnected poems reveal the hidden scandals and hypocrisies of early 20th-century rural American life.
How is Spoon River Anthology structured?
The book contains over 200 separate poems, each serving as a posthumous monologue from a different dead citizen buried in the local cemetery. Together, these overlapping accounts create a sweeping, unvarnished portrait of the town's interconnected history.
When was Spoon River Anthology written?
American poet Edgar Lee Masters published the collection in 1915. The unvarnished, cynical look at small-town morality was initially considered quite scandalous for its time.
What inspired Edgar Lee Masters to write Spoon River Anthology?
Masters was inspired to write the poems in 1914 after recalling the people from his own youth in Petersburg and Lewistown, Illinois. He originally published the poems serially under a pseudonym in the literary magazine *Reedy's Mirror*.
explore Explore More
Similar to Spoon River Anthology
See all arrow_forward
Reviews & Comments
Write a Review
Be the first to review
Share your thoughts with the community and help others make better decisions.
