Sara Teasdale published Love Songs in 1917 at the height of World War I. The volume’s fresh perspective on modern romance struck a chord with war-weary readers. Earlier publications, including Sonnets to Duse (1907), Helen of Troy and Other Poems (1911), and Rivers to the Sea (1915), had established Teasdale’s critical reputation. But Love Songs catapulted her to literary celebrity. Although book sales had fallen off sharply during the war, Love Songs reportedly sold more than two thousand copies in its first six months. Over the next two years, the collection was reprinted five times and, over the next decade, it went through fifteen editions.

In 1918, Love Songs was awarded …

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Citation: Girard, Melissa. "Love Songs". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 August 2011 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3819, accessed 31 October 2024.]

3819 Love Songs 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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