false 2793399 1 <p>Despite his protests, Anne Gilchrist, distinguished woman of letters, moved her entire household from London to Philadelphia in an effort to marry him. John Addington Symonds, historian and theorist of sexual inversion, sent him avid fan mail for twenty years. And volunteer assistant Horace Traubel kept a record of their daily conversations, producing a nine-volume compilation. Who could inspire so much devotion? <i>Worshipping Walt</i> is the first book on the Whitman disciples--the fascinating, eclectic group of nineteenth-century men and women who regarded Walt Whitman not simply as a poet but as a religious prophet.</p><p> Long before Whitman was established in the canon of American poetry, feminists, socialists, spiritual seekers, and supporters of same-sex passion saw him as an enlightened figure who fulfilled their religious, political, and erotic yearnings. To his disciples Whitman was variously an ideal husband, radical lover, socialist icon, or bohemian saint. In this transatlantic group biography, Michael Robertson explores the highly charged connections between Whitman and his followers, including Canadian psychiatrist R. M. Bucke, American nature writer John Burroughs, British activist Edward Carpenter, and the notorious Oscar Wilde. Despite their particular needs, they all viewed Whitman as the author of a new poetic scripture and prophet of a modern liberal spirituality.</p><p> <i>Worshipping Walt</i> presents a colorful portrait of an era of intense religious, political, and sexual passions, shedding new light on why Whitman's work continues to appeal to so many.</p> 2819170 3 3 2008 Worshipping Walt: The Whitman Disciples total:1|3:1| 1 3 11 1 0 0 false false Thu Feb 26 09:11:54 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 26 09:12:10 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Nov 06 13:39:32 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 06 13:39:38 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Wed Jul 15 20:07:52 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 01:37:27 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 20:07:52 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jan 04 16:56:15 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 16:56:15 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Aug 20 20:46:51 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 20 20:47:19 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Wed Aug 20 17:58:36 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 20 17:58:44 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Mon Aug 18 12:16:28 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 18 12:16:28 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Sun Jul 13 14:01:50 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 13 14:02:37 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Sun Jun 08 14:57:04 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 08 14:57:04 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Tue May 06 09:32:38 -0700 2008 Tue May 06 09:32:38 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Fri Mar 28 01:04:37 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 28 01:04:50 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2793399