Product Description

Walt Whitman's verse gave the poetry of America a distinctive national voice. It reflects the unique vitality of the new nation, the vastness of the land and the emergence of a sometimes troubled consciousness, communicated in language and idiom regarded by many at the time as shocking. Whitman's poems are organic and free flowing, fit into no previously defined genre and skilfully combine autobiographical, sociological and religious themes with lyrical sensuality. His verse is a fitting celebration of a new breed of American and includes 'Song of Myself', 'Crossing Brooklyn Ferry', the celebratory 'Passage to India', and his fine elegy for the assassinated President Lincoln, 'When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd'.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23661 in Books
• Published on: 1995-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Customer Reviews

Poetry of America
Walt Whitman believed that America should have a new poetry for the country, and not one that was steeped in British traditions, that it should speak of the democracy of the country. He developed his own unique style that has risen to him being called the 'Father of Free Verse'. However when he was first published in the US he met with mixed reactions, especially as some of his poetry was of a sexual element. In this country and throughout Europe though hs poetry was more generally admired.

Whitman wrote of the land he lived in, the people who inhabited that land, and tackled the Civil War, slavery, and equality for all. If you first look at his poetry you will immediately see that it doesn't rhyme, that the verses are of different lengths, and you may think that it is just mindless rambling. How wrong you would be though. Reading Whitman you soon grasp that his poetry has an internal rythmn, which probably accounts for many composers adding music to it. At times though it has to be admitted, his poems do become repetitive as he writes a lot that can seem to be like lists. All in all though this is a great book to read, collecting all his poems together, and has an excellant introduction by Stephen Matterson, as well as essays and newspaper accounts about the man himself.

Whitman's poems were very influential amongst the Beat Generation, and reading this book you can quite see why. His poems also help give a greater understanding to the fledgling country that was still being created.