Broken English: Poetry and Partiality

Heather McHugh

Wesleyan University Press, 1993 - Literary Criticism - 150 pages

"When I call poetry a form of partiality," writes Heather McHugh, "I mean its economies operate by powers of intimation: glimmering and glints, rather than exhaustible sums. It is a broken language from the beginning, brimming with non-words: all that white welled up to keep the line from surrendering to the margin; all that quiet, to keep the musics marked." In Broken English, McHugh applies her poetic sensibility and formidable critical insight to topics ranging from the poetry of Valery and Rilke to ancient Greek drama and Yoruba folk songs, offering intense, passionate, highly personal readings that are informed and unified by her concern for the relationships among language, culture, and poetry.

Ebook Edition Note: All images have been redacted.

About the author

HEATHER MCHUGH is a Professor of English at the University of Washington. She has published four books of poetry and two of translation; her most recent collections are Shades (1988) and To the Quick (1987), both published by Wesleyan University Press.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Broken English: Poetry and Partiality
• Author: Heather McHugh
• Edition: illustrated, revised
• Publisher: Wesleyan University Press, 1993
• ISBN: 0819552682, 9780819552686
• Length: 150 pages
• Subjects: Literary Criticism / General; Literary Criticism / Poetry; Poetry / General