The Homeless of Ironweed

Download or read book The Homeless of Ironweed written by Benedict Giamo and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Homeless of "Ironweed" is both a meditation on Kennedy's remarkable novel and a literary and cultural analysis. Benedict Giamo's explorations of the social conditions, cultural meanings, and literary representations of classic and contemporary homelessness in America and abroad inform his understanding of the literary merit and social resonance of Ironweed. Throughout Giamo remains grounded in a close reading of the novel. He moves with great relevance from Dante to Kenneth Burke, from Sartre to Robert Jay Lifton, to locate meaning and value in the lives of Kennedy's characters; by extension, with intelligence and compassion, he regards the lives of the homeless who wander through our streets and shefters today.