When Helen Vendler taught William Blake’s “The Lamb,” she often ended class discussions by reading the poem aloud. Arms extended as if cradling a lamb, gaze directed upward, Vendler would embody the character of the worshipful child speaker. One time, graduate students recall, Vendler also offered the lamb’s response — an unexpected “baa,” to the uproarious delight of her students. A celebrated literary scholar with a sometimes-unexpected sense of humor, Vendler took every opportunity to bring p...