Tender Buttons

Self-published in 1914, Tender Buttons is one of the volumes that solidified Gertrude Stein's reputation as a writer. Dividing the book into the three sections of Objects, Food, and Rooms, Stein attempts to form images using repetition and disjointed words. As the average person will find that it makes no sense at all, Stein's exercise in automatic writing remains in the realm of the literati. Though Tender Buttons might result in frustration at first glance, readers who come to understand her methods and the purpose behind these poetic morsels will enjoy Stein's spare style, which inspired a generation of writers is one of her most personal attempts at minimalist writing. It conflates the visual medium of writing with rhythmic and rhyming aural sensations. Give it time. Pick it up. Put it down. Pick it up again. You'll be glad that you did.