SOURCE: Freitag, Kornelia. “Writing Language Poetry as a Woman: Susan Howe's Feminist Project in A Bibliography of the King's Book, or, Eikon Basilike.” Amerikastudien/American Studies 40, no. 1 (1995): 45-57.

In the following essay, Freitag argues that Howe's work should be viewed in the context of both feminist writing and post-structural philosophical thought.

Yes, gender difference does affect our use of language, and we constantly confront issues of difference, distance, and absence, when we write. That doesn't mean I can relegate women to what we “should” or “must” be doing. Orders suggest hierarchy and category. Categories and hierarchies suggest property. My voice formed from my life belongs to no one else. What I put into words is no longer my possession. Possibility has opened.

Identity and memory are crucial for anyone writing poetry. For women the field is still dauntingly empty. How do I, choosing messages from the code of...