Whitman and Dickinson

Importance of Whitman First poetic writing which combines lyric verse and prose fiction - modern poetry thrives on this combination.  Whitman made the city and urban living conditions suitable settings for poetry.  The central metaphor, the unity of self with all other selves, is unique in American literature

Whitman’s Life   Born in New York  Known as the “Good Gray Poet”  Wrote one volume of poetry “Leaves of Grass” which he rewrote, revised, and added to over his entire life.

Dickinson   Wrote 1,775 poems but only published ten.  Born in Amherst, MA and was a notorious recluse  Only in 1955 were all her poems finally published

Vocabulary  Exact Rhyme  Slant Rhyme  Catalogues  Free Verse  Diction  Parallel Structure