Wallace Stevens, one of American Modernism’s greatest and most philosophical poets, sought to strip old beliefs away from the perceiving mind to create a new way of seeing the world. The result is a singularly ambitious form of poetry that claims—with a mixture of hubris and humility—to embrace all forms of human thought and making. Amy Hungerford is the Bird White Housum Professor of English and Dean of the Humanities Division at Yale. Her teaching and scholarship have focused on 20th and 21st century American literature; her books range across topics including genocide, religion, and the history of criticism. Her most recent book, Making Literature Now (Stanford, 2016), reveals the inner workings of contemporary publishing, as both an industry in which to make a living and an engine of literary fame. Her new research explores the socially saturated quality of modern solitude
Convening Yale presents talks by faculty and leaders from throughout Yale University, who share their research and expertise and help students broaden their understanding of an increasingly complex world. The Convening Yale series is made possible through the generous support of the Robert J. Silver ’50 Fund for Innovation in Management Education.