History Creator / AnneSexton

Anne Sexton (November 9, 1928 – October 4, 1974) was an American poet known for being one of the major figures of confessional poetry or "confessionalism", a style of poetry that focuses on very personal topics, like mental illness, sexuality, suicide, and others. Other figures that would be associated with this movement include Robert Lowel and Creator/SylviaPlath.

In 1945, Harvey enrolled at Rogers Hall boarding school in Lowell, then a year at Garland School, and she described her adolescence as "boy crazy". On August 16, 1948, she eloped with Alfred Muller Sexton II, or "Kayo", as she would call him, and took the name "Sexton". During the Korean War, Kayo spent two years in the Navy. In the meantime, Sexton worked in a bookstore and modeled for Boston's Hart Agency. Upon returning home, Kayo became a road salesman for Ralph Harve's wool business, and the sextons had two daughters: Linda Gray, born in 1953, and Joyce Ladd, in 1955.

Sexton's poetry is widely remembered for its candid treatment of topics like menstration, abortion, masturbation, incest, adultery, and drug addiction before it was common to do so. Her poetry also details her long battle with bipolar disorder, suicidal tendencies, and intimate details from her personal life, like her relationships with her husband and children, whom it was later alleged she physically and sexually assaulted.

* ''Live or Die'' (1966)

-->--'''Anne Sexton''', from ''The Black Art''

Anne Gray Harvey (November 9, 1928 – October 4, 1974) was an American poet known for being one of the major figures of Confessional poetry. wrote extremely dark and extremely personal poetry about her life. She grew up and spent most of her adulthood in Massachusetts, and studied at Boston University with ''Robert Lowell'' and Creator/SylviaPlath. Plath and Sexton remained friends for the remainder of Plath's life. She was married in 1948 and had two children. In October 1974, she lost her fight with her mental illness and died of suicide.

Anne Sexton, unlike her counterpart Sylvia Plath, received many accolades for her work during her life. Sexton was the first female member of the honor society Phi Beta Kappa. In 1967, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her book ''Live or Die''.

Her struggle with depression, relationships with her children and husband, and her suicidal tendencies were common subjects of her poems. Sexton's poetry is widely remembered for dealing with issues particular to women (like abortion and menstruation) before it was common to do so.

!! Notable Works Include:

* ''45 Mercy Street'' (1975)

* BalladOfX: "The Ballad of the Lonely [[ADateWithRosiePalms Masturbator]]"

An important figure in the Confessionalist movement of poetry, Anne Sexton (1928–1974) wrote extremely dark and extremely personal poetry about her life. She grew up and spent most of her adulthood in Massachusetts, and studied at Boston University with ''Robert Lowell'' and Creator/SylviaPlath. Plath and Sexton remained friends for the remainder of Plath's life. She was married in 1948 and had two children. In October 1974, she lost her fight with her mental illness and died of suicide.

A little public service announcement that we at Wiki/TVTropes would be very remiss not to make here: If you're feeling suicidal, ''please'' [[UsefulNotes/SuicidePrevention get help immediately.]] Talk to a loved one at the very least and let them know how you're feeling. [[YouAreNotAlone There]] ''[[YouAreNotAlone is]]'' [[YouAreNotAlone help out there]], no matter what you might believe.

An important figure in the Confessionalist movement of poetry, Anne Sexton (1928–1974) wrote extremely dark and extremely personal poetry about her life. She grew up and spent most of her adulthood in Massachusetts, and studied at Boston University with ''Robert Lowell'' and Creator/SylviaPlath. Plath and Sexton remained friends for the remainder of Plath's life. She was married in 1948 and had two children. In October 1974, she lost her fight with her mental illness and committed suicide.

An important figure in the Confessionalist movement of poetry, Anne Sexton (1928–1974) wrote extremely dark and extremely personal poetry about her life. She grew up and spent most of her adulthood in Massachusetts, and studied at Boston University with ''Robert Lowell'' and Creator/SylviaPlath. Plath and Sexton remained friends for the remainder of Plath's life. She was married in 1948, and had two children. In October 1974, she lost her fight with her mental illness and committed suicide.

An important figure in the Confessionalist movement of poetry, Anne Sexton (1928-1974) wrote extremely dark and extremely personal poetry about her life. She grew up and spent most of her adulthood in Massachusetts, and studied at Boston University with ''Robert Lowell'' and Creator/SylviaPlath. Plath and Sexton remained friends for the remainder of Plath's life. She was married in 1948, and had two children. In October 1974, she lost her fight with her mental illness, and committed suicide.

Anne Sexton, unlike her counterpart Sylvia Plath, received many accolades for her work during her life. Sexton was the first female member of the honor society Phi Beta Kappa. In 1967, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her book ''Live or Die''.

Her struggle with depression, relationships with her children and husband, and her suicidal tendencies were common subjects of her poems. Sexton's poetry is widely remembered for dealing with issues particular to women (like abortion and menstruation) before it was common to do so.

An important figure in the Confessionalist movement of poetry, Anne Sexton (1928-1974) wrote extremely dark and extremely personal poetry about her life. She grew up and spent most of her adulthood in Massachusetts, and studied at Boston University with Creator/RobertLowell and Creator/SylviaPlath. Plath and Sexton remained friends for the remainder of Plath's life. She was married in 1948, and had two children. In October 1974, she lost her fight with her mental illness, and committed suicide.

!! Noteable Works Include:

An important figure in the Confessionalist movement of poetry, Anne Sexton (1928-1974) wrote extremely dark and extremely personal poetry about her life. She grew up and spent most of her adulthood in Massachusetts, and studied at Boston University with {{Robert Lowell}} and Creator/SylviaPlath. Plath and Sexton remained friends for the remainder of Plath's life. She was married in 1948, and had two children. In October 1974, she lost her fight with her mental illness, and committed suicide.

Anne Sexton, unlike her counterpart Sylvia Plath, received many accolades for her work during her life. Sexton was the first female member of the honor society Phi Beta Kappa. In 1967, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her book Live or Die.

Noteable Works Include:

!!Tropes Associated With Her Life and Work
* {{Abusive Parents}}:
** During sessions with her psychologist that involved hypnotism to reveal repressed memories, Sexton claimed to remember being abused as a child, though her mother always denied those claims.
** Linda Gray Sexton, Anne's daughter, recounted times when she was abused by her mother in her autobiography.
* {{Driven to Suicide}}
* {{Fairy Tale}}: Her book of poetry ''Transformations'' is a series of poems that are adaptations of famous fairy tales, including "Literature/{{Cinderella}}" and "Literature/BriarRose".
* {{Mad Artist}}: Suffered from mental illness her entire life, spent some time in a mental hospital, and was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Since she's a confessional poet, this comes through a lot in her poetry.