(Re)-discovering Leaves of Grass – Virtual

In his preface to Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman tells us to “read these poems in the open air every season of every year” and our “very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency.” Many of us have likely missed a few seasons and
a few years, but here’s a chance to catch up and discover/rediscover the balm Whitman promised. The final edition of Leaves of Grass contains 383 poems. But we are going to read the first edition, which contains just twelve untitled poems, beginning with what later became known as “Song of Myself.” We will devote two classes to “Song of Myself” and one class to selections from the remaining eleven poems, starting with what became known as “I Sing the Body Electric.” We will explore the poems by reading them aloud together and sharing our insights. Our goal will be to come to our own understandings of why Emerson declared the original Leaves of Grass to be “the most extraordinary piece of wit & wisdom that America has yet contributed.”