Women Editing Modernism : "Little" Magazines and Literary History

Jayne Marek examines the work of seven women editorsHarriet Monroe, Alice Corbin Henderson, Margaret Anderson, Jane Heap, H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), Bryher (Winifred Ellermann), and Marianne Moore - whose varied activities, often behind the scenes and in collaboration with other women, contributed substantially to the development of modernist literature. Through such publications as Poetry, The Little Review, The Dial, and Close Up, these women had a profound influence that has been largely overlooked by literary historians.
Marek devotes a chapter as well to the interactions of these editors with Ezra Pound, who depended upon but also derided their literary tastes and accomplishments. Pound's opinions have had lasting influence in shaping critical responses to women editors of the early twentieth century.
In the current reevaluation of modernism, this important book, long overdue, offers an indispensable introduction to the formative influence of women editors, both individually and in their collaborative efforts.

Jayne Marek is a Fulbright Fellow in Hungary and assistant professor of English at Franklin College.