Expanding the American literary canon: A comparative analysis of the Navajo Nightway and Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself

The need for canon expansion is increasingly evident in literature departments today. Because of factors including fear and lack of knowledge, some instructors may be hesitant to expand their traditional curricula to include lesser studied minority texts. This thesis examines factors that have contributed to canon expansion and exclusion, with specific emphasis on Native American oral texts. It also details reasons for the necessity of studying Native American texts and discusses problems and solutions associated with the study of such texts. One specific solution to facilitate canon expansion for teacher and student involves pairing a canonized text with a non-canonized text. In particular, the comparison of the Navajo Nightway healing ceremony with Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" offers a pedagogical strategy to aid Western students and instructors in their study of the lesser known Navajo text while offering a new perspective on "Song of Myself."...