Civil War Literature

Lecture Objectives  To gain an overview of the historical context and literary concerns of The Civil War Era

The Puritan Era Age of Reason Transcendentalism American Literature Dark Romanticism Realism Civil War Era

The End of Idealism  As tensions between north and south grew, writers responded to the issues of slavery, regional conflict, and eventually civil war.  Depictions of slavery, and of fugitives from slavery stirred Northern conscience and infuriated Southern planters.  The struggles and demands of the day occupied people’s thoughts and were expressed in their private and public writings.

The End of Idealism  A nation divided  The outbreak of the Civil War brought an end to the idealism and transcendentalism of the pre-war period  Emerson felt the Civil War would bring an end to the evil of slavery  Most Americans thought the Civil War would only last a few months

The End of Idealism  The first Battle of Bull Run, the first major Civil War battle, established the war as bloody and vicious  Whitman viewed first hand the horror of war by working with the many maimed and wounded

Literature and the Civil War  Civil War brings demand for a "truer" type of literature that does not idealize people or places but instead gives the sometimes “ugly truth” of separation, slavery, and war.

Literature and the Civil War  Despite the national magnitude of the Civil War, it inspired almost no great literature  Few famous writers had first hand knowledge of the war  Most famous writers of the day were far removed from the war philosophically  The greatest Civil War novel was The Red Badge of Courage, written by Stephen Crane years after the war was over

Literature and the Civil War Literature included:  Novels and short stories  Objective narrator  Does not tell reader how to interpret story  Dialogue includes voices from around the country

The Civil War and Realism  The Civil War was a major cause of the rise of realism in America. The four-year conflict: destroyed cities, industries, and lives left bitter memories and economic desolation in the South

The Civil War and Realism  Social realism: aims to change a specific social problem  Aesthetic realism: art that insists on detailing the world as one sees it

Post Civil War and Realism  The post Civil War period saw the exploitation of the South  Impoverished, uneducated freed slaves migrated to northern cities  An industrial revolution was spawned by the Civil War  Poverty and slums grew around urban industry

Post Civil War and Realism  While the hardships and devastations of slavery and the war were gone, so was the optimism and idealism of the Romantics.

Authors and writers of the Civil War Era

Frederick Douglass  Born into slavery  Escaped slavery in his 20’s  Self educated  Wrote and gave speeches  Became internationally famous

Walt Whitman  Born May 31, 1819 on Long Island, New York  Left school at eleven to work as an office boy, first for a law firm and then for a newspaper.  Although he had only a few years of formal education he was a rapid and eager reader enjoying Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare.  Began contributing short items to his own and other journals.  Worked as a typesetter until he was seventeen and two big fires temporarily halted the development of the printing industry in Brooklyn and Whitman was forced to return to Long Island.  Taught school for five years, then went into journalism full-time.

Walt Whitman  Worked for several newspapers in New York then moved to New Orleans for an editor’s position. It was here where he experienced first-hand the brutality of slavery.  In 1848, Whitman returned to New York and founded the Brooklyn Freeman.  In 1855, he printed an electrifying book that made up the first edition of Leaves of Grass. Whitman continued editing Leaves of Grass, eventually printing nine editions by  Through the war, Whitman continued freelance journalism in New York and Washington, DC. And also worked as a volunteer nurse in army hospitals.  After the war, Whitman settled in Camden, NJ where he would remain until his death on March 26,  Though he struggled to support himself financially through most of his life, he wrote over 400 poems and published several prose works.

Walt Whitman - Works  Leaves of Grass (a collection of Whitman’s poetry. Nine total editions and the last edition includes more than 400 poems  His most well-received poems include:  Song of the Broad-Axe  I Hear America Singing  Democratic Vistas  Song of Myself

Influences on Whitman  Enlightenment – the realization of spiritual and religious understanding  Idealism - aspiring to or living in accordance with high standards or principles  Transcendentalism - intuition as a means of knowing a spiritual reality and believes that divinity pervades nature and humanity  Science, evolution ideas  Western frontier spirits  Jefferson’s individualism - the pursuit of personal happiness and independence rather than collective goals or interests  Civil War Unionism - loyalty to the federal union during the Civil War

Major themes in his poems:  equality of things and beings  divinity of everything  immanence of God (exists in all parts of the universe)  Democracy  evolution of cosmos  multiplicity(diversity) of nature  self-reliant spirit  death, beauty of death  expansion of America  brotherhood and social solidarity  pursuit of love and happiness

Whitman’s style  free verse(no conventional rhyme and meter)  direct, plain and even vulgar language  his poetry suggests rather than tells

O Captain! My Captain! O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done; The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won; The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring: But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills; For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths--for you the shores a- crowding; For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning; Here Captain! dear father! This arm beneath your head; It is some dream that on the deck, You've fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! My Captain! My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still; My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will; The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done; From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won; Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells! But I, with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.

A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and Dim A sight in camp in the daybreak gray and dim, As from my tent I emerge so early sleepless, As slow I walk in the cool fresh air the path near by the hospital tent, Three forms I see on stretchers lying, brought out there untended lying, Over each the blanket spread, ample brownish woolen blanket, Gray and heavy blanket, folding, covering all. Curious I halt and silent stand, Then with light fingers I from the face of the nearest the first just lift the blanket; Who are you elderly man so gaunt and grim, with well-gray’d hair, and flesh all sunken about the eyes? Who are you my dear comrade? Then to the second I step—and who are you my child and darling? Who are you sweet boy with cheeks yet blooming? Then to the third—a face nor child nor old, very calm, as of beautiful yellow-white ivory; Young man I think I know you—I think this face is the face of the Christ himself, Dead and divine and brother of all, and here again he lies.

When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer When I heard the learn’d astronomer, When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me, When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them, When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room, How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick, Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself, In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time, Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.