I suppose since i posted about it twice already i would like to more thoroughly investigate Whitman's sentiments on speech. I think i will do this by going through specimen days and his poetry. A poets relationship with speech or at least communication is paramount. Everyone is afraid they will be misunderstood or misread. In "Song of Myself" Walt has a few parts where he talks about speech and how it affects him.
What is the relation of communication and speech to a poem. How does Whitman try to close the gap between reader and author? Does Whitman invite us to try to go deeper?
On the surface some of these answers may seem easy and plain enough but it is more complex. Walt revising the Leaves as much as he did is important, perhaps focusing on segments that talk about speech or authors and readers through the revisions will also shed some light.
Awesome, I too am interested in quality/importance of Specimen Days in regards to its more intimate connection with Walt. How do you intend to display your analysis of the communicative quality of his entries?
ReplyDeleteThis is a great topic - - and I think digging up W's comments on "speech" is a really great way to start.
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