An edition of The Homeless of Ironweed (1996)
The homeless of Ironweed
blossoms on the crag
By Benedict Giamo
Publish Date
1996
Publisher
University of Iowa Press
Language
eng
Pages
166
Description:
The Homeless of "Ironweed " is both a meditation on Kennedy's remarkable novel and a literary and cultural analysis. Benedict Giamo's explorations of the social conditions, cultural meanings, and literary representations of classic and contemporary homelessness in America and abroad inform his understanding of the literary merit and social resonance of Ironweed. Throughout Giamo remains grounded in a close reading of the novel. He moves with great relevance from Dante to Kenneth Burke, from Sartre to Robert Jay Lifton, to locate meaning and value in the lives of Kennedy's characters; by extension, with intelligence and compassion, he regards the lives of the homeless who wander through our streets and shefters today.