| American poet, essayist, novelist, short story writer,
journalist, and editor.
Whitman is one of America's most honored poets. Hailed as a masterpiece of American literature, his Leaves of Grass pioneered a vision of humanity based on egalitarian democratic ideals and unveiled an ambitious poetic voice designed by Whitman to serve as the embodiment of America. The collection comprises poems written between 1855 and 1892 that glorify America by filtering its citizenry, landscape, and history through a prophetic and extremely sensual subjective persona the "self " of the longest and most highly regarded poem of Leaves of Grass, "Song of Myself." Eschewing conventional verse forms and diction, Whitman wrote in an unrestrained and idiosyncratic style that reflected the iconoclasm of his personal outlook. The influence of Leaves of Grass on American literature has been pronounced and lasting; as Roy Harvey Pearce stated, "the history of American poetry could be written as the continuing discovery and rediscovery of Whitman, an on going affirmation of his crucial relevance to the mission of the American poet." The second of nine children, Whitman was born and educated on Long Island.
At the age of eleven he left school to work as a clerk in a law office.
Before 1855, when he published the first edition of Leaves of Grass at
the age of thirty-five, Whitman had written nothing of critical regard.
He published sentimental verse in several periodicals and served for a
short time as editor of the New York A urora and the Brooklyn Eagle. His
only novel, Franklin Evans, or, the Inebriate, published in 1842, is largely
a sermon on the evils of alcohol; he later dismissed it as "damned rot."
Whitman's sudden transformation from conventional journalist to radical
poet remains unexplained, though commentators have suggested causes ranging
from Ralph Waldo Emerson's 1842 lecture "The Poet" in which Emerson called
for an American poet to capture the spirit of the burgeoning republic to
the emotional freedom resulting from Whitman's acceptance of his homosexuality.
Whatever the motivation, critics have noted that from the publication of
the first edition of Leaves of Grass, Whitman actively promoted himself
as a representative of the common people.
|
definiteness. . . . [To] speak in literature with the perfect rectitude and insouciance of the movements of animals and the unimpeachableness of the sentiment of trees in the woods and grass by the roadside is the flawless triumph of art." In accordance with Whitman's preface, the poems in Leaves of Grass sharply break from the American verse tradition established by such poets as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and William Cullen Bryant. These pieces employ unrhymed and unmetered lines, blend poetic and unpoetic speech, and address subjects that had been considered unfit for poetry most conspicuously the body and human sexuality. Edgar Lee Masters recorded that America "was shocked to stupefaction" by the first poem of Leaves of Grass, which was titled "Song of Myself " in later editions of the book. Although Whitman did attract a group of disciples who viewed him as the prophet of American democracy, his contemporaries generally condemned Leaves of Grass as incoherent and vulgar; most of the favorable reviews were written by Whitman himself and published anonymously. Although Emerson congratulated Whitman on Leaves of Grass in a letter stating, "I greet you at the beginning of a great career," biographers have noted that he too disapproved of the sexually explicit passages in Whitman's work. |
Weller, Paul 1958 . CLC 26
Wellershoff, Dieter 1925 . CLC 46
See also CA 89-92; CANR 16, 37
Welles, (George) Orson 1915-1985 CLC20,80
, See also CA 93-96; 117
Wellman, John McDowell 1945-
See Wellman, Mac
See also CA 166
Wellman, Mac 1945 . CLC 65
See also Wellman, John McDowell; Wellman,
John McDowell
Wellman, Manly Wade 1903-1986 CLC 49
See also CA 1-411; 118; CANR 6,16, 44; SATA
6; SATA-Obit 47
Wells, Carolyn 1869(?)-1942 TCLC35
See also CA 113; DLB I I
Wells, H(erbert) G(eorge) 1866-1946
TCLC 6,12,19; DA; DAB; DAC; DAM
MST, NOV, SSC 6; WLC
See also AAYA 18; CA I 10; 12 1; CDBLB 1914-
1945; DLB 34,70,156,178; MTCW 1; SATA
20
Wells, Rosemary 1943 . CLC 12
See also AAYA 13; CA 85-88; CANR 48; CLR
16; MAICYA; SAAS 1; SATA 18,69
Welty, Eudora 1909-... CLC 1, 29 5, 14, 22, 33,
105; DA; DAB; DAC; DAM MST, NOV;
SSC 1, 27; WLC
See also CA 9-12R; CABS 1; CANR 32, 65;
CDALB 1941-1968; DLB 2,102,143; DLBD
12; DLBY 87; MTCW I
Wen I-to 1899-1946 TCLC28
Wentworth, Robert
See Hamilton, Edmond
Werfel, Franz (Viktor) 1890-1945 TCLC 8
See also CA 104; 161; DLB 81, 124
Wergeland, Henrik Arnold 1808-1845
NCLC 5
Wersba, Barbara 1932 . CLC 30
See also AAYA 2; CA 29-32R; CANR 16, 38
Cl-R 3; DLB 52; JRDA; MAICYA; SAAS 2
SATA 1, 58
Wertmueller, Lina 1928 . CLC 16
See also CA 97-100; CANR 39
Wescott, Glenway 1901-1987 CLC 13
See also CA 13-16R; 12 1; CANR 23, 70; DLB
4,9,102
Wesker, Arnold 1932- .... CLC 3, 5, 42; DAB;
DAM DRAM
See also CA 1-4R; CAAS 7; CANR 1, 33
CDBLB 1960 to Present; DLB 13; MTCW I
Wesley, Richard (Errol) 1945 . CLC 7
See also BW 1; CA 57-60; CANR 27; DLB 38
Wessel, Johan Herman 1742-1785 LC7
West, Anthony (Panther) 1914-1987.. CLC 50
See also CA 45-48; 124; CANR 3, 19; DLB 15
West, C. P.
See Wodehouse, P(elham) G(renville)
West, (Mary) Jessamyn 1902-1984 ... CLC 7,17
See also CA 9-12R; 112; CANR 27; DLB 6;
DLBY 84; MTCW 1; SATAObit 37
West, Morris L(anglo) 1916 . CLC 6,33
See also CA 5-8R; CANR 24,49,64; MTCW I
West, Nathanael 1903-1940..TCLC 1, 14, 44; 1 SSC 16
See also CA 104; 125; CDALB 1929-1941; DLB
4,9,28; MTCW I
West, Owen
See Koontz, Dean R(ay)
West, Paul 1930 . CLC 7,14,96
See also CA 13-16R; CAAS 7; CANR 22, 53;
DLB 14; INT CANR-22
West, Rebecca 1892-1983 CLC 7, 9, 31, 50
See also CA 5-8R; 109; CANR 19; DLB 36;
DLBY 83; MTCW I
Westall, Robert (Atkinson) 1929-1993..CLC17
See also AAYA 12; CA 69-72; 141; CANR 18,
68; CLR 13; JRDA; MAICYA; SAAS 2; SATA
23, 69; SATA-Obit 75
Westlake, Donald E(dwin) 1933- .. CLC 7, 33;
DAM POP
See also CA 17-20R; CAAS 13; CANR 16, 44,
65; INT CANR16
Westmacott, Mary
See Christie, Agatha (Mary Clarissa)
Weston, Allen
See Norton, Andre
Wetcheek, J. L.
See Feuchtwanger, Lion
Wetering, Janwillem van de
See van de Wetering, Janwillern
Netheraid, Agnes Ethelwyn 1857-1940
TCLC 81
See also DLB 99
Netherell, Elizabeth
See Warner, Susan (Bogert)
Vhale, James 1889-1957 TCLC 63
Vhalen, Philip 1923 . CLC 6,29
See also CA 9-12R; CANR 5,39; DLB 16
Vharton. Edith (Newbold Jones) 1862-1937
TCLC 3,9,27,53; DA; DAB; DAC; DAM
MST, NOV, SSC 6; WLC
See also AAYA 25; CA 104; 132; CDALB 1865-
1917; DLB 4, 9, 12, 78, 189; DLBD 13;
MTCW I
Vharton, James
See Mencken, H(enry) L(ouis)
Vharton, William (a pseudonym) .... CLC 18,37
See also CA 93-96; DLBY 80; INT 93-96Wheatley (Peters), Phillis 1754(?)-1784
... LC 3;
BLC 3; DA; DAC; DAM MST, MULT,
POET; PC 3; WLC '
See also CDALB 1640-1865; DLB 31, 50
Wheelock, John Hall 1886-1978 CLC 14
See also CA 13-16R; 77-80; CANR 14; DLB 45
White, E(Iwyn) B(rooks) 1899-1985..CLC 10,
34,39; DAM POP
See also AITN 2; CA 13-16R; 116; CANR 16,
37; CLR 1, 21; DLB 11, 22; MAICYA; 0-0
MTCWI;SATA2,29,100;SATA-Obit44
White, Edmund (Valentine 111) 1940-
CLC 27, 110; DAM POP
See also AAYA 7; CA 45-48; CANR 3,19, 36,
62; MTCW I
White, Patrick (Victor Martindale) 1912-1990
CLC 3,4,5v 7,9,18,65,69
See also CA 81-84; 132; CANR 43; MTCW I
White, Phyllis Dorothy James 1920-
See James, P. D.
See also CA 21-24R; CANR 17, 43, 65; DAM
POP; MTCW I
White, T(erence) H(anbury) 1906-1964
CLC 30
See also AAYA 22; CA 73-76; CANR 37; DLB
160; JRDA; MAICYA; SATA 12
White, Terence de Vere 1912-1994 .... CLC 49
See also CA 49-52; 145; CANR 3
White, Walter F(rancis) 1893-1955 .... TCLC 15
See also White, Walter
See also BW 1; CA 115; 124; DLB 51
White, William Hale 1831-1913
See Rutherford, Mark
See also CA 121
Whitehead, E(dward) A(nthony) 1933-...CLC 5
See also CA 65-68; CANR 58
Whitemore, Hugh (John) 1936 . CLC 37
See also CA 132; INT 132
Whitman, Sarah Helen (Power) 1803-1878
NCLC 19
See also DLB I
Whitman, Walt(er) 1819-1892.. NCLC 4, 31;DA;
DAB; DAC; DAM MST, POET, PC 3;WLC
See also CDALB 1640-1865; DLB 3, 64; SATA
20
Whitney, Phyllis A(yame) 1903 . CLC 42;
DAM POP
See also AITN 2; BEST 903; CA 1-4R; CANR
3,25,38,60; JRDA; MAICYA; SATA 1, 30
Whittemore, (Edward) Reed (Jr.) 1919-
CLC 4
See also CA 9-12R; CAAS 8; CANR 4; DLB 5
Whittier, John Greenleaf 1807-1892
NCLC 8. 59
See also DLB I
Whittlebot, Hernia
See Coward, Noel (Peirce)
Wicker, Thomas Grey 1926-
See Wicker, Tom
See also CA 65-68; CANR 21,46
Wicker, Tom CLC 7
See also Wicker, Thomas Grey
Wideman, John Edgar 1941 -... CLC 5, 34, 36,
67; BLC 3; DAM MULT
See also BW 2; CA 85-88; CANR 14, 42, 67; DLB 33, 143
Wiebe, Rudy (Henry) 1934-.... CLC 6, 11, 14;
DAQ DAM MST
See also CA 37-4011; CANR 42, 67; DLB 60
Wieland, Christoph Martin 1733-1813
NCLC 17
See also DLB 97