A companion to Walt Whitman / edited by Donald D. Kummings.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Kummings, Donald D.

Series:

Blackwell companions to literature and culture ; 40.

Blackwell companions to literature and culture ; 40

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892--Criticism and interpretation--Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Whitman, Walt.

Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892.

Criticism and interpretation.

Genre:

Handbooks and manuals.

Physical Description:

xiii, 607 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm.

Place of Publication:

Malden, MA ; Oxford : Blackwell Pub., 2006.

Summary:

Comprising 35 original essays written by leading scholars, this Companion constitutes an exceptionally broad-ranging and in-depth guide to one of America 's greatest poets. The volume makes the best and most up-to-date scholarly thinking on Walt Whitman available to students. It encourages them to be more aware of the contexts of Whitman 's work, and helps them to understand the experimental nature of his writings.The Companion starts with a section which communicates a strong sense of the poet 's time, place and history. The contributions in this section range over subjects such as national identity, imperialism, slavery, race, gender, sexuality, and popular culture. A further selection of essays situates Whitman 's work in its literary context. Finally, there are essays devoted to specific works, covering both Whitman 's poetry and prose writings. The Companion also includes a compact biography of the poet and a bibliography of his works.

Contents:

Part I The Life 9

1 Whitman's Life and Work, 1819-92 / Gregory Eiselein 11

Part II The Cultural Context 27

2 Journalism / Douglas A. Noverr 29

3 The City / William Pannapacker 42

4 Labor and Laborers / M. Wynn Thomas 60

5 Politics / Gary Wihl 76

6 Oratory / J. R. LeMaster 87

7 Slavery and Race / Martin Klammer 101

8 Nation and Identity / Eldrid Herrington 122

9 A Theory of Organic Democracy / Stephen John Mack 136

10 Imperialism / Walter Grunzweig 151

11 Sexuality / Maire Mullins 164

12 Gender / Sherry Ceniza 180

13 Religion and the Poet-Prophet / David Kuebrich 197

14 Science and Pseudoscience / Harold Aspiz 216

15 Nineteenth-century Popular Culture / Brett Barney 233

16 Opera and Other Kinds of Music / Kathy Rugoff 257

17 Nineteenth-century Visual Culture / Ed Folsom 272

18 Civil War / Luke Mancuso 290

19 Nature / M. Jimmie Killingsworth 311

20 Death and the Afterlife / William J. Scheick 325

21 Twentieth-century Mass Media Appearances / Andrew Jewell, Kenneth M. Price 341

Part III The Literary Context 359

22 Language / Tyler Hoffman 361

23 Style / James Perrin Warren 377

24 Literary Contemporaries / Joann P. Krieg 392

25 The Publishing History of Leaves of Grass / Amanda Gailey 409

26 The Poet's Reception and Legacy / Andrew C. Higgins 439

Part IV Texts 455

Works of Poetry 456

27 The First (1855) Edition of Leaves of Grass / Edward Whitley 457

28 "Song of Myself" / Kerry C. Larson 471

29 "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" / James Dougherty 484

30 "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking" / Howard Nelson 496

31 "Live Oak, with Moss," "Calamus," and "Children of Adam" / Steven Olsen-Smith 508

32 Civil War Poems in "Drum-Taps" and "Memories of President Lincoln" / Ted Genoways 522

Prose Works 539

33 Democratic Vistas / Robert Leigh Davis 540

34 Specimen Days / Martin G. Murray 553

35 The Prose Writings: Selected Secondary Sources / Donald D. Kummings 566.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1405120932

OCLC:

60669055

Publisher Number:

9781405120937 (hardcover : alk. paper)