Walt Whitman Brilliant Maverick I

Introduction May 31, 1819 to March 26, 1892 One of the most influential poets in American canon, often called the “Father of Free Verse” & America’s first “poet of democracy.” Whitman & Emily Dickinson considered the founders of American poetic form. “The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it.” Belief that there was a vital, symbiotic relationship between the poet and society. Work considered very controversial. Leaves of Grass described as obscene for its overt sexuality.

Whitman’s Life Born the second son of Walter Whitman, a housebuilder, and Louisa Van Velsor. Family had 9 children & lived in Brooklyn/Long Island during the 1820s and 1830s. At the age of 11, Whitman began to learn the printer’s trade and fell in love with the written word. Self taught, he read voraciously, becoming familiar with classics such as Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, and the Bible. Worked as a printer in NYC until a fire in the printing district demolished the industry. In 1836, at the age of 17, he began a career as a teacher in Long Island. Continued to teach till 1841, when he became a full-time journalist Founded a weekly newspaper, Long-Islander, and later edited other NY-based papers.

Whitman’s Life (Con’d) In 1848, Whitman moved to New Orleans (editor of the Crescent). Experienced the viciousness of slavery and returned to Brooklyn where he founded a “free soil” newspaper, the Brooklyn Freeman. In 1855, Whitman copyrighted the first edition of Leaves of Grass, which consisted of 12 untitled poems (he continued expanding and revising this work till his death). Sent a copy to Emerson in 1855; Emerson praised him and credited much of his writing style to Whitman’s influence. In 1862, Whitman moved to Washington, DC to care for his brother who was wounded in the Civil War. Whitman was overcome by the suffering around him and decided to stay in DC to work in the hospitals there. He remained in DC for 11 years. In early 1870s, Whitman moved to Camden, New Jersey to be with his dying mother at his brother’s house. He remained there until his death on March 26, 1892.

Writing Style Strong tendency to use free verse in poetry (meaning that it is prose-like). An emphasis on the real details of the everyday world. Used both quotidian subjects and language. “Song of Myself” features a hero with is one of the common people as opposed to an elevated hero. Unusual imagery including rolling leaves, tufts of straw, and debris. An emphasis on the individual self, especially, Whitman himself as an individual. “I celebrate myself, and sing myself.” “Song of Myself” from Leaves of Grass. Wrote openly about death and sexuality, including prostitution. Eroticism, particularly, homoeroticism, features significantly in Whitman’s poetry. “I Sing the Body Electric” Cataloguing the new America as he saw it growing around him. Blurring boundaries between self and the world and between the public and private. Used spaces/situations that allowed for ambiguity here (e.g., journeys, outdoors, cities.