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drkshadow03's review against another edition
4.0
Whitman is the major American poet of the 19th century next to Emily Dickinson. His poetry draws on transcendentalist ideas that there are lessons to be learned about the world, the divine, and humanity by observing nature. There is a strong emphasis that the bustling cities and material commerce might have as much wisdom to teach us as solitude in nature distinguishes Whitman from other transcendentalists. The past is intertwined and always informing the present. Many of his poems address previous poets of the Western Tradition and argue that he is continuing and transforming these prior poetic traditions with his own work and unique style.
““The Past—the dark unfathom'd retrospect!
The teeming gulf—the sleepers and the shadows!
The past—the infinite greatness of the past!
For what is the present after all but a growth out of the past?”
Whitman surpasses these influences and adds a strong sense of the introspective self, our soul. He is the poet that tries to intertwine the soul or self and nature and to delineate their relationship. This intertwining can be seen in the beginning of “Song of Myself.”
“I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
I loafe and invite my soul,
I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.
My tongue, every atom of my blood, form’d from this soil, this air,
Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same,
I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin,
Hoping to cease not till death.”
He is the poet of the individual that tries to understand how ourselves are intertwined into the collective, nature, and the universe itself. In a way, to understand myself is to understand everyone. To understand Whitman is to understand myself. For Whitman everything in the universe is ultimately interconnected. Along with himself and nature, Whitman celebrates the diverse landscapes of America, democracy, and liberty. The celebration of one’s self and one’s soul is also the celebration of liberty, freedom, and democracy more generally.
“Underneath all, individuals,
I swear nothing is good to me now that ignores individuals,
The American compact is altogether with individuals,
The only government is that which makes minute of individuals,
The whole theory of the universe is directed unerringly to one
single individual—namely to You.” - By Blue Ontario’s Shore
His poetry often has a jubilant tone, full of the zest for living and experiences, sometimes hinting at sexual and homoerotic themes, while not neglecting to deal with darker themes like war and death, especially the Civil War and the aftermath of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. For Whitman death too is a part of life and sometimes an affirmation of it.
There is an undeniable exuberance in many of these poems that will make you want to seize life, although there are a few ponderous tomes that linger longer then they should and would have been stronger with some cutting, which I know is a controversial statement for one of the most celebrated American poets in history. Likewise, even though many of Whitman’s poems lean towards the longer side, there are quite a few shorter poems that are quite good too.
““The Past—the dark unfathom'd retrospect!
The teeming gulf—the sleepers and the shadows!
The past—the infinite greatness of the past!
For what is the present after all but a growth out of the past?”
Whitman surpasses these influences and adds a strong sense of the introspective self, our soul. He is the poet that tries to intertwine the soul or self and nature and to delineate their relationship. This intertwining can be seen in the beginning of “Song of Myself.”
“I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
I loafe and invite my soul,
I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.
My tongue, every atom of my blood, form’d from this soil, this air,
Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same,
I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin,
Hoping to cease not till death.”
He is the poet of the individual that tries to understand how ourselves are intertwined into the collective, nature, and the universe itself. In a way, to understand myself is to understand everyone. To understand Whitman is to understand myself. For Whitman everything in the universe is ultimately interconnected. Along with himself and nature, Whitman celebrates the diverse landscapes of America, democracy, and liberty. The celebration of one’s self and one’s soul is also the celebration of liberty, freedom, and democracy more generally.
“Underneath all, individuals,
I swear nothing is good to me now that ignores individuals,
The American compact is altogether with individuals,
The only government is that which makes minute of individuals,
The whole theory of the universe is directed unerringly to one
single individual—namely to You.” - By Blue Ontario’s Shore
His poetry often has a jubilant tone, full of the zest for living and experiences, sometimes hinting at sexual and homoerotic themes, while not neglecting to deal with darker themes like war and death, especially the Civil War and the aftermath of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. For Whitman death too is a part of life and sometimes an affirmation of it.
There is an undeniable exuberance in many of these poems that will make you want to seize life, although there are a few ponderous tomes that linger longer then they should and would have been stronger with some cutting, which I know is a controversial statement for one of the most celebrated American poets in history. Likewise, even though many of Whitman’s poems lean towards the longer side, there are quite a few shorter poems that are quite good too.
sleepy_head's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
everyeggmm's review
5.0
I first encountered Walt Whitman through my reading of a first-edition version of Leaves of Grass back in April. What captivated me then captivates me now, and that is the pure personality behind Whitman's tradition-defying poems. This book offers the "Deathbed" edition of Leaves of Grass along with other non-Leaves WW poems. While when Whitman shines he shines like no other, reading his complete works has taught me that he is also capable of boring one to sleep. Given however that he wrote some 400+ poems I believe it can only be expected that some will be duds, and besides the great poems far make up for the ones that are lacking.
Perhaps just as important as the poems, in this book are the some 200 pages of notes in the back and an introduction in the front, both of which shed light on the history of each poem and allow the reader an insight into how as Whitman aged and the nation changed (this being the period of the Civil War) so did the intentions and meanings behind his poems.
While I have several issues with Whitman and those aspects of him expressed in some of his poems (such as his praising of an America that at the time deserved no applause, and his rampant egoism), I also believe that there is a reason he's been remembered the way he has. Whitman, despite all his faults, was able to, in perfect Transcendentalist praxis, break away from the trappings of the old world and create a work that was truly original, and in the process help cement for America its own poetic legacy. And while his poems did not overturn organized religion and create a religion of Personality, nor did they free the culture from patriarchy and the suppression of sex, I believe that the best of Whitman's works accomplish easily at least two of his numerous goals: they stir life within the reader, inspiring instead of lecturing, urging the reader to find within themselves that which is their truth, and secondly they document in complexity the life and thoughts of a single soul living at a single point in time. Whitman's poetry was an effort to reach out across space and time and make a connection to the reader, and with his leaves he has done that and so much more.
Perhaps just as important as the poems, in this book are the some 200 pages of notes in the back and an introduction in the front, both of which shed light on the history of each poem and allow the reader an insight into how as Whitman aged and the nation changed (this being the period of the Civil War) so did the intentions and meanings behind his poems.
While I have several issues with Whitman and those aspects of him expressed in some of his poems (such as his praising of an America that at the time deserved no applause, and his rampant egoism), I also believe that there is a reason he's been remembered the way he has. Whitman, despite all his faults, was able to, in perfect Transcendentalist praxis, break away from the trappings of the old world and create a work that was truly original, and in the process help cement for America its own poetic legacy. And while his poems did not overturn organized religion and create a religion of Personality, nor did they free the culture from patriarchy and the suppression of sex, I believe that the best of Whitman's works accomplish easily at least two of his numerous goals: they stir life within the reader, inspiring instead of lecturing, urging the reader to find within themselves that which is their truth, and secondly they document in complexity the life and thoughts of a single soul living at a single point in time. Whitman's poetry was an effort to reach out across space and time and make a connection to the reader, and with his leaves he has done that and so much more.
rosiebarclay's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
i loved whitman he has such beautiful language and depictions of sex and american landscape
italo_carlvino's review
5.0
Walt Whitman loves humanity and the world. His broad love is embodied in his long, free verse poetry. His poems are kaleidoscopic and exhaustive. I do not think there is a Whitman poem that I do not like (except his earlier, formal poems).
behindthecritic's review against another edition
5.0
Whitman is amazing.
I can see why everyone in the literary world is influenced by him; he is absolutely incredible.
Reading some of his poems I could see clearly where future authors have referenced him which was fun to spot. A lot of his poetry did remind me a little bit of Ginsberg so it was nice to see where Ginsberg got his inspiration from.
I can see why everyone in the literary world is influenced by him; he is absolutely incredible.
Reading some of his poems I could see clearly where future authors have referenced him which was fun to spot. A lot of his poetry did remind me a little bit of Ginsberg so it was nice to see where Ginsberg got his inspiration from.