Carl Dennis: Using Myth (January 2000)

How can we use myth to enlarge our poems? When does doing so run the risk of making the poem (or poet) seem overly self-important? And what strategies are available to poets to manage this risk? In this lecture, poet Carl Dennis looks at poems by Whitman, Yeats, Eliot, Jack Gilbert, Yehuda Amichai, Amy Gerstler and Linda Gregg to explore how poets can effectively use myths to deepen the resonance and reach of their poems.