Comprising more than 30 substantial essays written by leading scholars, this companion constitutes an exceptionally broad-ranging and in-depth guide to one of America’s greatest poets.
- Makes the best and most up-to-date thinking on Whitman available to students
- Designed to make readers more aware of the social and cultural contexts of Whitman’s work, and of the experimental nature of his writing
- Includes contributions devoted to specific poetry and prose works, a compact biography of the poet, and a bibliography
Notes on Contributors ix
List of Illustrations xiv
Abbreviations of Standard Whitman Works xvi
Introduction 1
Donald D. Kummings
Part I: The Life 9
1 Whitman's Life and Work, 1819–92 11
Gregory Eiselein
Part II: The Cultural Context 27
2 Journalism 29
Douglas A. Noverr
3 The City 42
William Pannapacker
4 Labor and Laborers 60
M. Wynn Thomas
5 Politics 76
Gary Wihl
6 Oratory 87
J. R. LeMaster
7 Slavery and Race 101
Martin Klammer
8 Nation and Identity 122
Eldrid Herrington
9 A Theory of Organic Democracy 136
Stephen John Mack
10 Imperialism 151
Walter Grunzweig
11 Sexuality 164
Maire Mullins
12 Gender 180