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Lecture5AmericanRomanticismandNewEnglandLiterature:WaltWhitmanandEmilyDickinsonWaltWhitman(1819-1892)EmilyDickinson(1830-1886)GeneralIntroductiontoWhitmanandDickinsonDifferences(P96)Sameness(P88)(WaltWhitman)(EmilyDickinson)●Thematically,extolledanemergentAmerica,itsexpansion,itsindividualism,anditsAmericanness,partof“AmericanRenaissance”.●Twomajorpoetsinlate19thcentury.●Technically,addedtoliteraryindependence,pioneersofmodernAmericanpoetry.back●Inoutlook,Whitmanis“national”whileDickinsonis“regional”.●Thematically,Whitmankeepshiseyeonsociety,whileDickinsonexplorestheinnerlifeoftheindividual●Inform,Whitman’sendless,all-inclusivecatalogscontrastwithDickinson’sconcise,direct,andsimpledictionandsyntaxbackThemesinWhitman’sPoetry●Advocatingtherealizationoftheindividualvalue●Showingconcernforthewholehard-workingpeopleandtheburgeoninglifeofcities●Pursuinglove,happinessandsexlove●PoliticalcommitmentWhitman’sgreatwork:LeavesofGrass●Wentthrough9editions:1855,1856,1860,1867,1871,1876,1881,1889,1891-92.(MarkingthebirthoftrueAmericanpoetry)●Thefirstedition:12poems,notsoldwellbutmadeastirontheAmericanliteraryscene.Becauseitbrokewiththepoeticconventionandexpressedthepleasuresofsexandthesensualityofthebody,itwascriticizedas“noxiousweeds”,“poetryofbarbarism”.●Whitmanextolstheidealsofequality,democracy,thedignity,theself-reliantspirit,andthejoyofthecommonman,theexpansionofAmericawithitsdynamiccreativefertilityanditsindomitableenergy.●LeavesofGrassisanAdamicsong.Whitman’sPoetics●Whitman’spoeticstyleismarked,firstofall,bytheuseofthepoetic“I”(usuallyatriangularrelationship:“I”thepoet,subjectinthepoemand“you”thereader.●Whitmanisalsoradicallyinnovativeintermsoftheformofhispoetry.Whatheprefersis“freeverse”.Freeversereferstopoetrywithoutafixedbeatorregularrhymescheme.Alooserandmoreopen-endedsyntacticalstructureisfrequentlyfavored.Linesandsentencesofdifferentlengthsareleftlyingsidebysidejustasthings,undisturbedandseparate.Therearefewcompoundsentencestodrawobjectsandexperiencesintoasystemofhierarchy.●Thereisastrongsenseofthepoemsbeingrhythmical.●TherhetoricofWhitman’spoetryisrelativelysimpleandevenrathercrude.●HehasastrongtendencytouseoralEnglish.Whitman’sContributionWhitman’sinfluenceovermodernpoetryisgreatintheworldaswellasinAmerica.HisbestworkhasbecomepartofthecommonpropertyofWesternculture.(T.S.Eliot;EzraPound)WhitmanhasbeencomparedtoamountaininAmericanliteraryhistory.Hisinnovationsindictionandversification,hisfranknessaboutsex,hisinclusionofthecommonplaceandtheuglyandhiscensureoftheweaknessoftheAmericandemocraticpracticepavedhiswaytoashareofimmortalityinAmericanLiterature.backThemesofDickinson’sPoetry●Dickinson’spoemsareusuallybasedonherownexperience,hersorrowsandjoys.Dickinsonaddressesthoseissuesthatconcernthewholehumanbeings,whichincludereligion,death,immortality,love,andnature.●OntheethicallevelDickinsonemphasizesfreewillandhumanresponsibility.Sheattacksover-emphasisonmaterialismandcommercialism.SheadmiresthecrusadingliberalRepublicanism.Shehasasympathyforthepoorandtheweak.Sheholdsthatbeauty,truthandgoodnessareultimatelyone.DiscussionofDickinson’sPoem“SuccessIsCountedSweetest”◆Whoare“thepurplehost”?◆Whois“he”inthelaststanza?◆Whyissuccess“countedsweetestbythosewhoneversucceed”?◆Whatisthethemeofthepoem?◆Whatarethecharacteristicsofthepoem?CharacteristicsofDickinson’sPoetry◆Herpoemshavenotitles,hencearealwaysquotedbytheirfirstlines.Inherpoetry,thereisaparticularstresspattern,inwhichdashesareusedasamusicaldevicetocreatecadenceandcapitalsasameansofemphasis.◆Theformofherpoetryismoreorlesslikethatofthehymnsincommunitychurches,familiar,communal,andsometimes,irregular.◆Herpoetryaboundsintellingimages.◆Asalientfeatureofhertechniqueishersevereeconomyofexpression.Herpoeticidiomisnotedforitslaconicbrevity,directness,andplainestwords.◆Herpoemsareusuallyshort,tendingtobepersonalandmeditativeduetoherdeliberateseclusion.Herpoetryisremarkableforitsvariety,subtletyandrichness.ReflectionQuestionsandAssignmentsReflectionQuestionsWhywasWaltWhitmanviewedtobe“oneofthegreatestinnovatorsinAmericanliterature”?Assignments1Read“SongofMyself”.2Read“BecauseIcouldNotStopforDeath”.