Edna St Vincent Millay was an American poet, playwright, and feminist icon of the early 20th century. Born in Rockland, Maine in 1892, Millay was writing poetry from a young age and eventually attended Vassar College, publishing her first collection of poems, Renascence, in 1912. She would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923 for The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver and Other Poems, cementing her place among the greats of American letters.
Millay was known for her modernist and post-Victorian take on traditional topics such as love and nature, and for her advocacy of female autonomy and sexual liberation. Her poetic style has been compared to Shakespeare and Burns, and her unique blend of feminism and passion made her beloved by readers over many decades.
The following are five essay topics related to Edna St. Vincent Millay:
1) An analysis of love and nature in Millay’s poetry: This essay would explore the ways in which Millay's poetry treats the traditional subjects of love and nature. It would pay close attention to her use of imagery and her modernist, post-Victorian approach to these topics.
2) The influence of early 20th century feminism on Millay’s poetry: This essay would look at how Millay's work was informed by the early feminist movement, how her advocacy of female liberation influenced her poetry, and the ways in which her poetry in turn influenced the feminist movement.
3) Exploring Millay’s writing in the context of her Pulitzer Prize-winning poem, The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver: This essay would focus on the poem for which Millay won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923, examining how this work compares and contrasts with other poems from her canon, and how it fits into her larger body of work.
4) Exploring Millay’s use of modernist themes: This essay would focus on how Millay used modernist themes in her poetry and prose, examining how she updated traditional topics by drawing on modernist techniques and sensibilities.
5) An exploration of the feminist iconography of Edna St. Vincent Millay: This essay would look at how Millay became an icon of feminism and female liberation, examining her unique blend of passion and advocacy, and how her advocacy of female autonomy has continued to influence other writers, feminists, and readers to this day.