Richard Wilbur
Essays

Richard Wilbur is an American poet whose work appears frequently in literature and poetry courses at the undergraduate level. Known for his formal craftsmanship, wit, and lyrical precision, Wilbur represents a strand of mid-twentieth-century American poetry that embraced traditional meter and rhyme at a time when many contemporaries moved toward free verse. Students encounter his work in survey courses on American literature, poetry seminars, and courses focused on close reading and poetic form. His translations of French dramatic works, including plays by Molière such as The School for Wives, Tartuffe, and The Misanthrope, also make him a significant figure in courses covering world literature, translation studies, and French cultural history.

The papers gathered around this topic reflect the range of contexts in which Wilbur's work appears. Some focus on close readings of individual poems, such as "Boy at the Window," examining imagery, tone, and formal structure. Others approach Wilbur primarily as a translator, analyzing how his versions of Molière's satirical comedies render French social criticism — targeting hypocrisy, jealousy, and aristocratic pretension — into English verse. Comparative approaches appear as well, placing Wilbur's translations alongside other works of the French comic tradition or Enlightenment literature.

A strong essay on Wilbur benefits from a tightly scoped thesis, whether focused on a single poem or a specific translation choice. Close textual evidence carries the most weight, so quoting and analyzing specific lines is essential. A common pitfall is treating his translations as transparent windows onto Molière rather than as independent literary achievements shaped by Wilbur's own poetic sensibility.