The Poetry Of Robert Lowell And Confessional Poetry

Robert Lowell is a brilliant writer and poet. He is one of the genius’ of his time. Paul N. Calvert said, “The period in which Robert Lowell wrote has been called “The Age of Lowell,” a testament to his genius as a poet.” Lowell was born on March 1, 1917 and died on September 12, 1977. Throughout his life time, Lowell wrote many poems and even a few books. But Lowell is mostly famous for his works of poetry and the movement in which he utilizes. Lowell is famous for complying with the form of Confessional Poetry, a literary term which will later be defined. Some poems demonstrate this movement more than other poems; however most of them contain the ideas of Confessional Poetry. Lowell’s poetry often contains parts of his life experiences as well. He uses what he knows in life to write something alluring. Lowell’s unique poetry exhibits key features of his past education, time in World War II, and characteristics of confessional poetry. Lowell’s writing is unique for his time. Although he was educated like many others, he was one of the best and he used that education to write in his own way. Lowell “studied Greek and Latin at St. Mark’s, a prep school, and at Harvard and Kenyon College, where he graduated with the highest honors” (Meyers 173). Like any great poet, Lowell had a great education and he used it to write his poetry. But Lowell also used his life and knowledge to write his poetry. Jeffrey Meyers noted that “Lowell used Classical culture to reflect on contemporary