The dark sublime in American poetry: From Poe to the bomb
Abstract
This project traces a strain of the sublime in American poetry from the poetry of E. A. Poe, through the eras of Modernism, Confessional Poetry, and the atomic bomb. On American soil, the sublime turns toward the grotesque and Dark Romantic, generating a number of variations on the orthodox Romantic experience of sublimity as initially defined by Kant. Thomas Weiskel’s seminal definition of three stages in the orthodox Romantic sublime process provides a template for the several formulations of sublimity examined in this project. Rob Wilson and John Gery are also important theorists of American poetry. Prominent poets include Kenneth Rexroth, Robert Frost, Wallace Stevens, Sharon Olds, Lorine Niedecker, William Stafford, and Ai.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Morris, Purdue University.
Subject Area
American literature
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