Anne Sexton's "Rumpelstiltskin"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains how, through the use of feminist sarcasm in her poem "Rumpelstiltskin", Anne Sexton exposes stereotypes that are present in traditional fairy tales and elevates the voice of women everywhere.

From the Paper:

"Suzanne Juhasz asserts that understanding Sexton's poetry is understanding the fact that at the heart of her poetry lies the "exploration and representation of gender" (Juhasz). This aspect of the poet's work is what makes it so "alluring and painful" (Juhasz). Her poetry, "reveals both the potential or repressed power of authentic female identity and another kind of power-that of a patriarchal system to define the female in its own terms, as something attractively and seductively impotent. (Juhasz)" Clearly, "Rumpelstiltskin" operates from the idea of the female identity established in the fairy tale. However, the poet weaves her own impressions between the lines that tell a different story."

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