Aesthetizing the existence

notes on Elise Cowen’s poetics

Abstract

This work is the result of an interdisciplinary dialogue regarding the possibilities between the “aesthetics of existence” proposed by the french philosopher Michel Foucault, and the poetics of the north american writer Elise Cowen (1933- 1962). Starting with the idea that confessional poetry is an insufficient label to describe some of the poetics written by women in the late 1950s, in the United States, it aims to observe practices which should advance the aestheticization of existence and not only the accounts of everyday scenes. By acknowledging that there is no coincidence behind the choice for the exercise of poetry, that it requires a rigor in form and language, we believe it to be one of the most interesting counter-attacks against the modern forms of power which are normalizers in the literary practice. To this end, we work with feminist literary criticism such as those of Adrienne Rich (2017) and Gilbert & Gubar (1979), and also with the foucauldian feminist critics Margareth Rago (2013), Margaret Mclaren (2016) and Taylor & Vintges (2006).