A Private Madness

The Genius of Elinor Wylie

Evelyn Helmick Hively

A reintroduction to the fascinating story and unique poetic vision of Elinor Wylie

Elinor Wylie’s body of work—four novels and four volumes of poetry produced between 1921 and 1928—has often been overshadowed by her controversial personal life. In A Private Madness Evelyn Hively explores the points at which her life and her art intersect and demonstrates how Wylie “used language and literary form to transform the chaos of her experiences.” This purpose was successfully met, as A Private Madness presents Wylie and her work within the culture of the twenties.