Images of sexuality in Walt Whitman's Song of Myself

Images of sexuality in Walt Whitman's Song of Myself PDF Author: Dirk Lepping
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3638209636
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 17

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 1999 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0 (A), University of Münster (English Seminar), course: English and American Romantic Poetry, language: English, abstract: This research paper is going to deal with the poem “Song of Myself“ by Walt Whitman, which was published in the collection of poetry Leaves of Grass in 1855 and holds a central place in American literature. Whitman himself is said to be one of the most revolutionary poets in America and besides the most radical transcendentalist. He was a fighter for democracy and especially stood up for the rights of oppressed and disadvantaged people. His poems were an outlet of their suppressed feelings and drives. By using free verse he also broke the conventional meter and introduced a new - more natural - verse form. Therefore I feel a personal interest in this fascinating man and his works. A common subject of many of Whitman’s poems is sexuality. You can find a huge variety of several images and symbols of sexuality in numerous poems like e.g. the famous ‘Calamus-poems’ (“When I heard at the Close of the Day“ or “Trickle Drops“) and also in the so-called ‘Enfans d’Adam (Children of Adam)-poems’ (Poem of the Body: “I Sing the Body Electric“ ; Poem of Procreation: “A Woman waits for Me“; or the most bizarre one Bunch Poem: “Spontaneous Me“). I have selected “Song of Myself“ as it is widely considered to be Whitman's single most important and most personal poem. In “Song of Myself“ you can find elements of three kinds of sexuality that often appears in Whitman’s poems: heterosexuality as the ‘normal’ sexuality of this time, homosexuality as Whitman is considered to be homosexual and autosexuality which was strictly considered as something abominable and despicable at this time. Due to the huge variety of sexual elements in “Song of Myself“ and the lenght of the poem it is unavoidable to give only some selected examples acting for the others.

Images of sexuality in Walt Whitman's Song of Myself

Images of sexuality in Walt Whitman's Song of Myself PDF Author: Dirk Lepping
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3638209636
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 17

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 1999 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0 (A), University of Münster (English Seminar), course: English and American Romantic Poetry, language: English, abstract: This research paper is going to deal with the poem “Song of Myself“ by Walt Whitman, which was published in the collection of poetry Leaves of Grass in 1855 and holds a central place in American literature. Whitman himself is said to be one of the most revolutionary poets in America and besides the most radical transcendentalist. He was a fighter for democracy and especially stood up for the rights of oppressed and disadvantaged people. His poems were an outlet of their suppressed feelings and drives. By using free verse he also broke the conventional meter and introduced a new - more natural - verse form. Therefore I feel a personal interest in this fascinating man and his works. A common subject of many of Whitman’s poems is sexuality. You can find a huge variety of several images and symbols of sexuality in numerous poems like e.g. the famous ‘Calamus-poems’ (“When I heard at the Close of the Day“ or “Trickle Drops“) and also in the so-called ‘Enfans d’Adam (Children of Adam)-poems’ (Poem of the Body: “I Sing the Body Electric“ ; Poem of Procreation: “A Woman waits for Me“; or the most bizarre one Bunch Poem: “Spontaneous Me“). I have selected “Song of Myself“ as it is widely considered to be Whitman's single most important and most personal poem. In “Song of Myself“ you can find elements of three kinds of sexuality that often appears in Whitman’s poems: heterosexuality as the ‘normal’ sexuality of this time, homosexuality as Whitman is considered to be homosexual and autosexuality which was strictly considered as something abominable and despicable at this time. Due to the huge variety of sexual elements in “Song of Myself“ and the lenght of the poem it is unavoidable to give only some selected examples acting for the others.

Song of Myself

Song of Myself PDF Author: Walt Whitman
Publisher: Gildan Media LLC aka G&D Media
ISBN: 1722525053
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 68

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Book Description
One of the Greatest Poems in American Literature Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was considered by many to be one of the most important American poets of all time. He had a profound influence on all those who came after him. “Song of Myself”, a portion of Whitman’s monumental poetry collection “Leaves of Grass”, is one of his most beloved poems. It was through this moving piece that Whitman first made himself known to the world. One of the most acclaimed of all American poems, it is written in Whitman’s signature free verse style, without a regular form, meter, or rhythm. His lines have a mesmerizing chant-like quality, as he sought to make poetry more appealing. Few poems are as fun to read aloud as this one. Considered to be the core of his poetic vision, this poem is an optimistic and inspirational look at the world in 1855. It is exhilarating, epic, and fresh in its brilliant and fascinating diction and wordplay as it tries to capture the unique meaning of words of the day, while also embracing the rapidly evolving vocabularies of the sciences and the streets. Far ahead of its time, it was considered by many social conservatives to be scandalous and obscene for its depiction of sexuality and desire, while at the same time, critics hailed the poem as a modern masterpiece. This first version of “Song of Myself” is far superior to the later versions and will delight readers with the playfulness of its diction as it glorifies the self, body, and soul. “I am large, I contain multitudes,”

Walt Whitman in Context

Walt Whitman in Context PDF Author: Joanna Levin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108311474
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 865

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Book Description
Walt Whitman is a poet of contexts. His poetic practice was one of observing, absorbing, and then reflecting the world around him. Walt Whitman in Context provides brief, provocative explorations of thirty-eight different contexts - geographic, literary, cultural, and political - through which to engage Whitman's life and work. Written by distinguished scholars of Whitman and nineteenth-century American literature and culture, this collection synthesizes scholarly and historical sources and brings together new readings and original research.

Walt Whitman's Song of Myself

Walt Whitman's Song of Myself PDF Author: Walt Whitman
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134476809
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
Since 1855, Walt Whitman's Song of Myself has been enjoyed, debated, parodied and imitated by readers, critics and artists crossing national and linguistic boundaries. Many argue that it is the most influential poem ever written by an American. This sourcebook and critical edition provides easy access to: * information on the contexts of Whitman's work, including biographical details and a chronology * an overview of the critical reception of the poem and extracts from important criticism, reprinted with clear introductory headnotes * key passages from the original 1855 edition, with commentary and annotation * the full 'final' 1881 edition of the poem. Cross-references link the critical, contextual and textual sections of the volume, encouraging an integrated understanding of this creative and controversial text. Complementing a wealth of material with suggestions for further reading, this volume is ideal for readers with no knowledge of the poem, or for those returning anew to a favourite text.

On Whitman

On Whitman PDF Author: C. K. Williams
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691176108
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
In this book, Pulitzer Prize–winning poet C. K. Williams sets aside the mass of biography and literary criticism that has accumulated around Walt Whitman and attempts to go back to Leaves of Grass as he first encountered it—to explore why Whitman's epic "continues to inspire and sometimes daunt" him. The result is a personal reassessment and appreciation of one master poet by another, as well as an unconventional and brilliant introduction to Whitman. Beautifully written and rich with insight, this is a book that refreshes our ability to see Whitman in all his power.

The Routledge Encyclopedia of Walt Whitman

The Routledge Encyclopedia of Walt Whitman PDF Author: J.R. LeMaster
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136700706
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 884

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Book Description
The Routledge Encyclopedia of Walt Whitman presents a comprehensive resource complied by over 200 internationally recognized contributors, including such leading Whitman scholars as James E. Miller, Jr., Roger Asselineau, Betsy Erkkila, and Joel Myerson. Now available for the first time in paperback, this volume comprises more than 750 entries arranged in convenient alphabetical format. Coverage includes: biographical information: all names, dates, places, and events important to understanding Whitman's life and careerWhitman's works: essays on all eight editions of Leaves of Grass, major poems and poem clusters, principal essays and prose works, as well as his more than two dozen short stories and the novel, Franklin Evansprominent themes and concepts: essays on such major topics as democracy, slavery, the Civil War, immortality, sexuality, and the women's rights movement.significant forms and techniques: such as prosody, symbolism, free verse, and humourimportant trends and critical approaches in Whitman studies: including new historicist and cultural criticism, psychological explorations, and controversial issues of sexual identitysurveys of Whitman's international impact as well as an assessment of his literary legacy. Useful for students, researchers, librarians, teachers, and Whitman devotees, this volume features extensive cross-references, numerous photographs of the poet, a chronology, a special appendix section tracking the poet's genealogy, and a thorough index. Each entry includes a bibliography for further study.

Walt Whitman's "song of Myself"

Walt Whitman's Author: Edwin Haviland Miller
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
One of Walt Whitman's most loved and greatest poems, Song of Myself is an optimistic and inspirational look at the world. Originally published as part of Leaves of Grass in 1855, Song of Myself is as accessible and important today as when it was first written. Read Song of Myself and enjoy a true poetic masterpiece.

Song of Myself

Song of Myself PDF Author: Walt Whitman
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
ISBN: 1609384660
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 207

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Book Description
This book offers the most comprehensive and detailed reading to date of Song of Myself. One of the most distinguished critics in Whitman Studies, Ed Folsom, and one of the nation’s most prominent writers and literary figures, Christopher Merrill, carry on a dialog with Whitman, and with each other, section by section, as they invite readers to enter into the conversation about how the poem develops, moves, improvises, and surprises. Instead of picking and choosing particular passages to support a reading of the poem, Folsom and Merrill take Whitman at his word and interact with “every atom” of his work. The book presents Whitman’s final version of the poem, arranged in fifty-two sections; each section is followed by Folsom’s detailed critical examination of the passage, and then Merrill offers a poet’s perspective, suggesting broader contexts for thinking about both the passage in question and the entire poem.

A Study Guide for Walt Whitman's Song of Myself

A Study Guide for Walt Whitman's Song of Myself PDF Author: Gale, Cengage Learning
Publisher: Gale, Cengage Learning
ISBN: 1410335178
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 29

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Book Description
A Study Guide for Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Literary Themes for Students: The American Dream.This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Literary Themes for Students: The American Dream for all of your research needs.

Song of Myself

Song of Myself PDF Author: Walt Whitman
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486113175
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 66

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Book Description
It was with this first version of "Song of Myself," from the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass, that Whitman first made himself known to the world. Readers of revised editions will find this version surprising, and often superior.