“American out of Conflict”: World War II and the Elegies of Muriel Rukeyser

Abstract

This essay offers a contextualized reading of Muriel Rukeyser’s Elegies, ten important World-War-II era poems that have received very little critical attention yet provide significant insight into Rukeyser’s politics and poetics during the war. Pointing out the consistency with which she addresses politics in her pre-war and wartime poetry, this reading of the Elegies challenges the prevailing critical consensus that describes Rukeyser’s “shift” from leftist activist to pro-war propagandist as the war progressed. At the same time, this essay’s close reading of the Elegies within the context of the heated policy debates taking place in the United States during these years reinforces Rukeyser’s reputation as a poet who champions movement, process, and change. This reading of Rukeyser’s Elegies foregrounds the recurring symbols and motifs that illustrate the regenerative power of movement, thus strengthening our understanding of her anti-fascist politics and poetics.

Keywords

• rukeyser
• muriel
• elegies
• world war ii
• war in literature