The Looking Glass

by Isabella Gardner

Book by Gardner, Isabella

Genres: Poetry

45 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1961

About the author

Isabella Stewart Gardner (April 14, 1840 – July 17, 1924) – founder of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston – was an American art collector, philanthropist, and one of the foremost female patrons of the arts.

Isabella Stewart Gardner had a zest for life, an energetic intellectual curiosity and a love of travel. She was a friend of noted artists and writers of the day, including John Singer Sargent, James McNeill Whistler, Anders Zorn, Henry James, Okakura Kakuzo and Francis Marion Crawford.

The Boston society pages called her by many names, including "Belle," "Donna Isabella," "Isabella of Boston," and "Mrs. Jack." Gardner created much fodder for the gossip tabloids of the day with her reputation for stylish tastes and unconventional behavior. Her surprising appearance at a 1912 concert (at what was then a very formal Boston Symphony Orchestra) wearing a white headband emblazoned with "Oh, you Red Sox" was reported at the time to have "almost caused a panic", and remains still in Boston one of the most talked about of her eccentricities.

Reviews

[Jennifer Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these poems, such as "Nightmare", are surreal and full of impact, with lines that one can't help but read over and over again. Others are more anchored in nature or experiment, and at least for me, these felt more Pound-ian, a little bit more experimental and less enjoyable on the whole, though I could appreciate them on a more poetic/language level. I suspect that, because of the stylization and the sense informing so many of these poems, they'll probably come across as a bit unwieldy and/or dated to many readers, but I think poets who know a bit of the history/progression of twentieth century poetics will probably find a lot of moments to fall in love with and appreciate.

Not a collection I'd give to readers who aren't long-versed in poetry and already love the form, but a collection I'm glad to have stumbled upon and read.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the author's attempt to make playful work within the strictures of formalism, but ultimately many of the pieces came out clunky due to the rhymes, the awkward line breaks. I wish she took the leap toward free verse; Gardner had a lot to say and I think the form here was too limiting.