On Extended Wings

Discover the depth of Wallace Stevens's poetry in On Extended Wings by Helen Hennessy Vendler, published by Harvard University Press in 1969. This insightful literary criticism spans 312 pages, offering a profound exploration of Stevens's longer works, which showcase his unique sensibilities and artistic innovations. While his short poems are widely anthologized, Vendler emphasizes that it is in the extended pieces where Stevens truly shines. Through a careful analysis of fourteen selected poems, she illustrates how these longer works served as a testing ground for his formal experiments and the discovery of his remarkable strengths as a poet. Ideal for poetry enthusiasts and scholars alike, this book is a must-read for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of Stevens's literary contributions.