Regarded as America's best-loved poet in the mid-twentieth century, biographers created conflicting images of Robert Frost and his legacy after his death. In "Love and need," Adam Plunkett combines biography and literary criticism to uncover a more nuanced portrait of the man. Through close readings of his work, Plunkett highlights the ways in which Frost's poetry mirrored significant relationships in his life--including the fraught relationship with biographer Lawrance Thompson, whose scathing, three-part work published after the poet's death had a lasting impact on his reputation.