Robert Frost: A Life by jay parini

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Parini has crafted an extremely scholarly and yet highly readable biography of Robert Frost.

Each chapter in this work meticulously describes Frost's life, typically covering a span of 2 - 5 years. However, the true delight of this book lies in the fact that Parini incorporates in-depth analysis of Frost's poetry.

His profound insights into both the man himself and his poetic works are truly enlightening. It offers a unique perspective that allows readers to better understand the essence and significance of Frost's literary contributions.

This is a very well-documented and thoroughly researched book. The attention to detail and the comprehensive nature of the research make it not only a valuable resource for scholars but also a joy to read for anyone with an interest in Robert Frost or American literature in general.

It provides a rich and engaging account of Frost's life and works, making it a must-read for those who wish to explore the world of this renowned poet.

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fidelinator

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Robert Frost is a renowned American poet, and "Robert Frost - A Life" is truly one of the most outstanding biographies I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

This biography presents a well-balanced account of Frost's life. It delves into the historical facts, highlighting the significant events that shaped his journey. It also explores the powerful influences that had an impact on both him and his poetry.

Parini, the author, does an excellent job of analyzing many of Frost's finest poems. However, he is careful not to turn this into a work of pure literary criticism. Instead, he maintains the focus on providing a comprehensive biography.

The writing in this book is of a high caliber. It flows smoothly and never feels拖沓 or dull. Parini has the remarkable ability to bring together the diverse aspects of Frost's complex character, creating a seamless and engaging narrative.

Overall, "Robert Frost - A Life" is a must-read for anyone interested in the life and works of this great poet. It offers valuable insights and a deeper understanding of Frost's contributions to the world of literature.

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o2o7am

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

A great poet is like a visionary, capable of seeing the world from a unique perspective and expressing it in the most beautiful and profound ways. Their words have the power to touch our hearts, stir our emotions, and make us see things we may have overlooked before.

Poets use language as their medium, carefully choosing each word and phrase to create a vivid and evocative image in the reader's mind. They play with rhythm, rhyme, and meter to add musicality and flow to their verses, making them a joy to read aloud.

Whether it's a sonnet, a haiku, or a free verse poem, a great poet has the ability to convey complex emotions and ideas in a concise and powerful manner. Their works can inspire us, comfort us, and challenge us to think differently about the world around us.

In conclusion, a great poet is a true artist, whose words have the power to transcend time and space and touch the lives of people for generations to come.

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Joe_Med

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Robert Frost's reputation has seen several changes over the years.

At first, he was seen as the friendly yet tough storyteller with tousled white hair, often confused with Carl Sandberg (whom he disliked and feared). Then, in the late fifties, Randall Jarrell's "dark Frost" essay added depth and nuance to his image. After Frost's death in 1963, his authorized biography, written by his chosen biographer and former friend Lawrance Thomson, was a bitter attack on his personal character, further darkening his reputation.

However, there has been a recent reevaluation of Frost, which brings us to Jay Parini's well-intentioned biography.

Unlike other High Modernist poets like Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot, Frost was a true classicist with excellent Latin and good Greek. While Pound and Eliot flaunted their learning, Frost could quote Catullus from memory.

Frost the Farmer was a bit of a slob. He had a trust fund from his grandfather and a gifted farm, but it wasn't enough to make him a successful farmer. His accounts of his farming failures were not exaggerations, as the property became rundown and was only sold to the bank.

As for Frost's character, there are many questions. Was he a jerk? Did it matter? While it may not matter to us as readers, it is of interest to understand his personality. I suspect he may have had Narcissistic Personality Disorder, as he seemed to suck those closest to him into a "Dark Hole of Need."

Frost the family man was also a puzzle. He suffered great tragedies, with a son dying of cholera, a favorite daughter dying of puerperal fever, and another son committing suicide. He also had a complex relationship with his children, being both close and remote.

Overall, Frost was a great poet, but his character had many flaws. His hypocrisy, especially when it came to academics, was particularly galling. While he was a lousy professor, he wanted his style of teaching to be acceptable only for him and complained about "progressive" educational techniques.

Despite his flaws, Frost's poetry remains some of the greatest of the 20th century. His ability to see things and then see through them, and his use of simple language to convey complex ideas, make him a unique and important poet.

Jay Parini's biography provides a detailed and nuanced look at Frost's life and work, making it a valuable addition to the literature on this important poet.

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k9c

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

You ever read one or two sentences in a book and, no matter how good the book is before or after, the book has been totally obliterated for you? That happened to me with Robert Frost: A Life.

Sure, it's well-researched and took years to write. But it all went to hell when I read a snippet of Frost's letter to a friend. It said something like this:

"My son's mongrel gave birth. Now he has eight puppies to drown. I could never own a bitch."

Drowning puppies?

The "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" guy condones drowning puppies?!?!

There is no further explanation of this remark in the book. So, I do not know if Frost himself ever drowned puppies or if these puppies somehow got a last-minute reprieve. I do not care that drowning kittens and puppies were considered normal at the time. Wrong is wrong.

Parini's goal with this biography was to make Frost into a much nicer guy than his previous biographers did. Well, he failed. If he allowed his son to drown puppies, then the guy was a monster.

And this ruins every single Robert Frost poem I've ever read. It makes me question the man behind the beautiful words. How could someone who wrote such profound and moving poetry have such a cruel side? It's a real conundrum and has left me with a bitter taste in my mouth when it comes to Robert Frost.

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miipuffs

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I've perused several biographies about Frost, and I firmly believe this one stands out as the best.

Parini not only endeavors to offer a corrective and a balanced account in contrast to Lawrance Thompson's rather malicious biography, but being a poet himself, he deftly and sensitively interprets Frost's work throughout each chapter of his life.

Thompson was handpicked by Frost to be his official biographer. However, he came to loathe his subject and presented Frost to the world in his most somber and unappealing moods.

After all, what great artist can win public favor when only their frailties and responses to personal tragedies are exaggerated?

This biography, on the other hand, is far more just and empathetic towards Frost, yet it never descends into sycophancy. It's a book that I find myself constantly drawn back to, time and again.

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kikichan_

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Robert Frost a Life, by Jay Parini, is an outstandingly well-researched biography of this remarkable American poet.

Presented chronologically, and almost daily when required, the author offers a comprehensive portrayal of Frost's activities, reading, studies, observations, and emotions. It details whom he met and his interactions with them, where he lived and worked, and how all of his experiences influenced the evolution of each of his poems and the progression of his career.

If achieving all this seems like a daunting task, it indeed is. However, the book is remarkably accessible, allowing readers to gain a reasonable understanding of the poet as a person, as well as his sentiments regarding his life and his poetry. The book liberally provides relevant excerpts of those poems in both these aspects, along with sections of letters, speeches, essays by others, and portions of Frost's notebooks.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in this great poet. It has been reviewed as perhaps the most balanced of the biographies of him to date, making it an essential addition to any collection on Robert Frost.

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Sirlion

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

An Informative Biography

The author of this bio is an English Professor who has dedicated a significant amount of time to researching Robert Frost.

The value of this book lies in its profound insight into the man himself. It delves into what he thought, how he lived, and the tragedies that marked his personal life.

Frost's sister, son, and one of his daughters all suffered from serious mental illness, and he himself grappled with depression for much of his life.

Interestingly, the book contains more technical analyses of poetry than one might anticipate in a biography. However, these passages can be easily scanned by a non-technician.

Overall, this bio offers a comprehensive and engaging look at the life and work of Robert Frost, making it a valuable resource for both scholars and enthusiasts alike.

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