In Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself,” first published in 1855, the poet describes himself in the following way: “Both in and out of the game, and watching and wondering at it.” We’ll discuss the importance of this line both to Whitman’s poetry and to the poetry that followed in his wake. Along with reading Whitman’s poetry and prose with close attention, we’ll look at work by 20th-century poets who claim Whitman as an influence. Critical perspectives will be provided by Ezra Pound, D. H. Lawrence, Randall Jarrell, William Carlos Williams, Justin Kaplan, and others. Expect a great deal of reading, writing, and conversation.

Texts:

• Walt Whitman: A Life by Justin Kaplan Leaves of Grass and Other Writings by Walt Whitman (edited by Michael Moon). Harper Perennial. [0060535113]
• Leaves of Grass and Other Writings by Walt Whitman (edited by Michael Moon). W. W. Norton. [ 0393974960]
• Brad Leithauser. Curves and Angles. Knopf. [0307265285]
• Mary Jo Salter. A Phone Call to the Future: New and Selected Poems. Knopf. [ 0307267180]