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"Literary history is full of pairs - think say of Whitman and Dickinson - whose names seem to complement each other."
- Michael Gorra, Smith College
Undoubtedly, Whitman and Dickinson are quite different from each other - in poetic style as well as in personal reputation. Let's look at these two nineteenth-century American poets and consider why Gorra thinks of them as complementary. What does the poetry of the reclusive Dickinson and the free-spirited Whitman reveal about the literary culture of their times? Examining samples of their work will serve as a point of departure for this discussion.
Charles Sullivan is a poet and Professor of English at the Community College of Rhode Island for almost forty years. He has also taught at Roger Williams University and Bryant College. A founding member of Providence's Trinity Repertory Theater, he is Chair Emeritus of RICH's Board of Directors.
Needs: Lighted lectern/water