Walt Whitman - Leaves of Grass (first version)

[Owen]

Not sure how to break this one down - maybe suggest that we leave it as one discussion topic where you can share any general views or if you want to focus on one poem or section just put that in the comment at the start in brackets or something? Alternatively happy to do it poem by poem if generates a lot of comment

Didn't know there were so many versions, seems WW evolved it dozens of times through his life, would be interesting to read his final version at some point

[Claire]

Owen I'm sorry, I didn't enjoy this. :(

I was just saying on the Edgar Allan Poe thread that I just can't get into poetry.
Some of the imagery stood out to me in this but to be honest not a lot of it has stuck with me. I'm planning on listening/watching it on YouTube if I can find a good one and see if I can absorb it better that way.

I did like the letter from Ralph Waldo Emerson at the beginning. What a review! Haha.

[Owen]

Yeah I know what you mean. I've read the first two poems which are the longer ones. I think poetry I like tends to be concise and emotive rather than long and lyrical like this. I get what he's doing and I like it in principle but there's only so many times I can take the same point told in a different, albeit beautiful way!

Before this I had just read a Robert Frost collection which if found so so dull. Whitman is far more alive and energetic, I liked that, but eesh tighten it up guys!

[Owen]

Ok hmm. Finished this. Found the first poem (America, the famous one) interesting enough and l quite like how alive and vibrant his writing is. It really feels like the birth of beat poetry in a way, he was miles ahead of his time.

Then the second poem almost made me quit. It went on forever, just endless lists of stuff. Am sure some of it was good but jeez I really struggled. So dull.

Got through that and then got towards the end as the poems got shorter and I actually started to love it. It has a real lust for life and captures the bustle and enterprise of early modern America. It must have seared on their psyche in the 'sea to shining sea' kind of way.

So overall I found it hard going and honestly that second poem I literally said out loud stop with the [expletive] lists. But in the end I did kind of love it.

I'm not a massive poetry fan though, has to be said. I will sprinkle them in my to read list but I don't look forward to them tbh.

Funny one.