The Reinvention of 19th Century US Poetry in Whitman’s Song of Myself

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Universidad Veracruzana

Academic Area of Human Sciences

Languages Faculty – Xalapa

The Reinvention of 19th Century US Poetry in Whitman’s Song of Myself

Research Area:

Literary Studies

BA in English Language

Student:

Óscar Chávez…

Director:

M.A. Irán Mendoza Cárdenas

The Reinvention of 19th Century US Poetry in Whitman’s Song of Myself

Rationale (3-5 pages)

1. Importance of the study regarding the professional education of students of the BA in English Language. (1-2 paragraphs)
2. Background regarding the topic (study of US poetry) (1 page)
3. Background regarding the author (studies and/or critics on Walt Whitman’s work) (1 page)
4. Background regarding the poem (studies and/or critics on Song of Myself) (1-2 pages)

Introduction (3-5 pages)

1. General aspects regarding the importance of the study of literature.
2. General aspects regarding the importance of the study of US poetry.
3. General aspects regarding the importance of the author and his work in US literature (what the critics).
4. General aspects about 19th Century US Literature.
5. Main literary movements in 19th Century US Literature.
6. Place and importance of Transcendentalism

1. How it emerged?
2. Who were some of the main representatives of the movement?
3. What were the main ideas promoted by transcendentalists?
4. What’s the place of Whitman within Transcendentalism?

1. Purpose of the research (thesis statement or general/main objective)
2. Structure of the research

1. what information will be presented in Chapter I and what’s the purpose of that information;
2. what information will be presented in Chapter II and what’s the purpose of that information;
3. what information will be presented in Chapter III and what’s the purpose of that information;
4. in general terms, what information will be contained in the conclusions and with what objective…

(WRITE ONE PARAGRAPH FOR EACH POINT)

Objectives

1. General objective of the research

2. Specific objective of Chapter I
3. Specific objective of Chapter II
4. Specific objective of Chapter III

Chapter I. The Author and his Work (8 – 10 pages)

1. One brief chapter (6 to 10 lines) explaining in general terms what information will be presented in here.

I.1. Whitman’s Life and Work

1. Brief summary of his life (2 to 3 pages)
2. Brief summary of his work (2 to 3  pages)

I.2.Transcendentalism in 19th century US Literary Tradition.

1. Overview of 19th Century US literature

1. Literary movements (general overview)

1. Main characteristics of each movement
2. Literary, artistic, aesthetic, political, social or cultural factors that influenced each literary movement
3. Main authors and works
4. Main impact of the authors and their works in later literature

1. Transcendentalism in 19th Century US Literature (Presentation and Explanation in depth).

1. What is transcendentalism? How is it defined?
2. How it emerged? (As a consequence of what? In reaction to what? On the basis of what? For what purpose?)
3. Who were some of the main representatives of the movement?
4. What were the main ideas promoted by transcendentalists?
5. What’s the place of Whitman within Transcendentalism?
6. What’s the place of Song of Myself in Whitman’s Poetry?

Chapter II. Composition and Representation in Poetry (8 – 10 pages)

1. Brief introductory paragraph indicating what the reader can find in here.
2. Brief second paragraph indicating that the analysis and comment on Poetry composition and representation of elements (symbols) in Poetry will concentrate on poetry that was composed BEFORE Walt Whitman, since transcendentalism is a reaction against the main ideas promoted by Romanticism and Romantic Poets.

2.1 Theory of poetry composition

1. In the field of literature, what is poetry?, how is it defined?
2. Which are some of the main features of traditional poetry in 19th Century US Literature (Before Whitman’s poetry: metrics, rhyme and rhythm, rhetorical figures, etc.)

2.2 Themes and symbols in US poetry (Romanticism vs Transcendentalism)

1. Themes and symbols in Romantic poetry.

1. Main Romantic poets and works
2. Main themes and symbols in romantic poetry

1. Themes and symbols in Transcendentalist poetry

1. Main transcendentalist poets and works
2. Main themes and symbols in transcendentalist poetry.
3. Main themes and symbols in Whitman’s poetry (here you can discuss other poems by Whitman, do not focus only on Song of Myself)

Chapter III. Aesthetics and Themes in Whitman’s Song of Myself (8 – 10 pages)

a. Brief introductory paragraph indicating what the reader can find in this section

3.1 Aesthetics in Whitman’s poetry

1. Analysis of Song of Myself from the point of view of composition (for each aspect, recall the reader what has been previously said in chapter II about poetry composition –just as a reminder- and how Whitman proposed a transformation of these principles of composition. You have to 1). re-mention the theory, 2). provide an example of a poem that fulfills that form of composition, 3). Discuss how Whitman breaks this aspect about poetry composition, 4). Include an argument/statement from one critic that mentions this aspect, 5). Provide an example taken from the poem. These 5 steps have to be done for discussing practically each aspect included below. Follow this structure so you don’t get lost).

1. Rhyme
2. Rhythm
3. Length
4. Free verse
5. Rhetorical figures (some of the main that you may find. If you find this difficult, we can ultimately eliminate it).

3.2 The body, the soul and the nature

1. Analysis of Song of Myself from the point of view of themes, symbols and representations (for each aspect, recall the reader what has been previously said in chapter II about themes and symbols in poetry –just as a reminder- and how Whitman proposed a transformation of these forms or representation of themes and symbols. You have to 1). re-mention the previous ideas in chapter II, 2). provide an example of a poem that fulfills that form of representation, 3). Discuss how Whitman breaks this aspect about representation in poetry, 4). Include an argument/statement from one critic that mentions this aspect, 5). Provide an example taken from the poem. These 5 steps have to be done for discussing practically each aspect included below).

1. The body
2. The soul
3. Nature

Conclusions

1. What did I learn from the whole research process?
2. What were the main difficulties faced during this research?
3. What can I say about the topic itself?
4. Which aspects that were not studied in this research are susceptible of becoming a research subject for further research?

References

All the works that are directly cited/quoted in this research.

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