Anne Sexton American poet Anne Sexton became one of the leading figures of confessional poetry in the mid-20th century. (more) confessional poetry literature Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/art/confessional-poetry Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by René Ostberg René Ostberg is an associate editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica covering literature, popular music, and Catholicism. René Ostberg Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Feb 11, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What is confessional poetry? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Confessional poetry is a literary movement that emerged in American poetry in the 1950s and u201960s. It is characterized by self-revelatory and deeply personal poems written from the poetu2019s perspective." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How did Robert Lowell influence confessional poetry? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Robert Lowellu2019s collection Life Studies (1959) is considered a watershed moment in American literature, inspiring the coining of the term confessional poetry." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How did confessional poetry differ from earlier styles of poetry? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Confessional poetry removed the u201Cmask,u201D making the speaker unequivocally the poet. This differed from earlier styles in which personal experiences were often conveyed through symbolism or a persona." } } ] } Top Questions What is confessional poetry? Confessional poetry is a literary movement that emerged in American poetry in the 1950s and ’60s. It is characterized by self-revelatory and deeply personal poems written from the poet’s perspective.

　　How did Robert Lowell influence confessional poetry? Robert Lowell’s collection Life Studies (1959) is considered a watershed moment in American literature, inspiring the coining of the term confessional poetry.

　　How did confessional poetry differ from earlier styles of poetry? Confessional poetry removed the “mask,” making the speaker unequivocally the poet. This differed from earlier styles in which personal experiences were often conveyed through symbolism or a persona.

　　confessional poetry, literary movement that emerged in American poetry in the 1950s and ’60s and remained influential into the 21st century. Confessional poetry is characterized by poems that are self-revelatory and often deeply personal, written from the perspective of “I” (the author) rather than an omniscient or unidentified speaker or a persona. Many topics that had been taboo in earlier poetry, especially when discussed from an autobiographical standpoint, were prominent in the work of confessional poets, including mental illness, incarceration, divorce, abuse, addiction, and sexuality. Confessional poetry has attracted criticism for being self-indulgent or “navel-gazing.” However, most confessional poets do ...(100 of 1593 words)

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