Reading and Interpreting the Works of Walt Whitman

Lit Crit Guides

by Alex Beene

For most students, the images stirred by the word "poet" are those of an introverted individual removed from the crowd and devoted more to his or her work than engaging in the company of others. Walt Whitman spent a lifetime avoiding these commonly held notions of what a writer should be. From founding his own newspaper to acting as a volunteer nurse during the Civil War, Whitman encountered years of progress and turmoil that dramatically influenced the author he would become. This detailed guide serves as a compass through the magnificent journey Whitman took as a man who wanted to present the profoundly essential relationship between poetry and society.

144 pages, Library Binding

Published July 30, 2017

Reviews

[Cheryl]

I'm just reading a bit of supplementary material, just what I could find in my local library system, to enhance my appreciation of my read of Song of Myself. This is for middle-school students, young teens, I think.

If I were more ambitious, I would track down "Manly Health and Training" by Whitman, under the name "Mose Velsor."

As is, I read the bio and the chapter on Song of Myself only. Not too much help, except for the reminder that Whitman and the Transcendentalists knew (and presumably influenced) each other.

Nov 2021

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried to check out most of the books related to Walt Whitman at my library in anticipation of finishing Leaves of Grass and this did give me some great context about his life and how I could interpret the work as a cultural shift in its time. I wish the interpretations were more comprehensive and granular since large sections of the book read as spliced-up versions of Whitman's past publications with little to glean from their inclusion. I carried this around with me while I traveled around with my family and used a blade of grass as my bookmark, which greatly increased my enjoyment and whimsy.