Concetti Chiave
- Whitman embraced Emerson's transcendentalism and was the first to focus on American subjects, emphasizing individualism and unity in "Leaves of Grass".
- His travels from New York to New Orleans exposed him to the vast American landscape, which influenced his poetic development and themes.
- "Leaves of Grass" evolved throughout Whitman's life, reflecting his transcendental belief in the unity of all things and rejecting traditional poetic forms.
- Whitman's poetry celebrated democracy, individualism, and the American Dream, embodying a prophetic vision of unity and truth.
- He pioneered new poetic expressions by discarding traditional rhymes, using long lines, and blending common speech with scientific and philosophical language.
Walt Whitman
Whitman was a follower of Emerson trascendentalism. He believed in the melting pot idea. He ‘s the first who talks about American subjects. In 1855 he wrote “ Leaves of grass “ idea of individualism and togetherness at the same time. He talks about common grass and so common people.
He was born in New York , of a working class family. He travelled from New York to New Orleans and this experience brought him in touch with the vastness of his country and also during this period he read widely ( Dante , Shakespeare , the Bible excetera..) .
A life - A long poem
All of Whitman’s poetry was incorporated in “ Leaves of grass “. The first edition ( July 4th , Independence Day ) , showed a picture of a working man , a photograph of Whitman himself dressed up as a “democratic bard “ . This poem can be regarded as a life-long poem because he continued to revise and expand it throughout his life. Whitman never lost a transcendental sense of the unity of all things. He rejected the traditional form oh 19th century poetry because it imposed rigidity and completeness upon the reality.
The prophet of democracy and individualism
He ‘s poetry is a poetry of the body, he talks about physical love and attraction between people .For him is very important the “ individuality “ that is expressed in the phrase “ I and you , “ whoever you are “. He divided his being into three : “MY SELF “ ( i , Whitman’s poetic personality ) , the “Real me “ ( the inner personality of Whitman ) and “MY SOUL “ ( the soul of America ) . His poetry is pervaded by optimism . He celebrated America in all its variety and to him his country represented the expression of the idea of democracy. He believed in the “ American dream “ . He was like a prophet who as to reveal the truth . He sees himself contained in every man and women.
New means of expressions
He rejected rhymes and regular lines , in favour of long lines where rhythm is determined by the emotion expressed. The impression is lack of unity . Is language mixes dialect and common speech with the jargon of science and philosophy . It avoid simils and metaphors because the poet’s aim is to celebrate .
Domande da interrogazione
- Qual era l'idea centrale di Walt Whitman riguardo l'individualismo e la collettività?
- Come ha influenzato l'esperienza di viaggio di Whitman la sua poesia?
- Qual è stata la reazione del pubblico all'edizione del 1860 di "Leaves of Grass"?
- In che modo Whitman ha influenzato la poesia americana successiva?
- Quali innovazioni stilistiche ha introdotto Whitman nella sua poesia?
Whitman credeva nell'idea di individualismo e insieme di unità, come espresso nel suo lavoro "Leaves of Grass", dove parla di persone comuni e dell'erba comune.
I viaggi di Whitman da New York a New Orleans lo misero in contatto con l'immensità del suo paese, influenzando la sua poesia e il suo sviluppo come poeta.
L'edizione del 1860 suscitò l'indignazione dei lettori puritani e contribuì a dare a Whitman una reputazione di omosessualità.
Whitman ha influenzato poeti successivi come Ezra Pound e la Beat Generation, ed è considerato il padre della poesia americana.
Whitman ha rifiutato le rime e le linee regolari, preferendo linee lunghe dove il ritmo è determinato dall'emozione espressa, mescolando dialetto e linguaggio comune con il gergo scientifico e filosofico.
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