The Slicks: On Sylvia Plath and Taylor Swift [Paperback]

A keen, ardent celebration of unbridled female ambition in the work of Taylor Swift and Sylvia Plath

InThe Slicks, Maggie Nelson positions culture-dominating pop superstar Taylor Swift and feminist cult icon Sylvia Plath as twin hosts of the female urge toward wanting hard, working hard, and pouring forthand as twinned targets of patriarchys ancient urge to disparage, trivialize, and discipline creative work by women rooted in autobiography and abundance.

A buoyant melding of popular culture and literary criticism,The Slicksis a captivating and unexpected assessment of two iconic female artists by one of the most revered and influential critics of her generation.

A keen, ardent celebration of unbridled female ambition in the work of Taylor Swift and Sylvia PlathMaggie Nelson is the author ofThe Argonauts,Bluets,Like Love, On Freedom,The Red Parts,and, most recently,Pathemata, Or, The Story of My Mouth. She teaches at the University of Southern California and lives in Los Angeles.In a trenchant feminist critique, Nelson expounds on fame, ambition, and the patriarchal silencing of women by focusing on two cultural icons: poet Sylvia Plath and singer/songwriter Taylor Swift. . . . A sensitive meditation on womens quests.Kirkus Reviews