Whitman
There are many articles on the topic of Walt Whitman in NCLive. There are several that discuss that Whitman is an optimist. Specifically, the articles cited in this paper will examine Whitman and will shed light on his optimism.
Genoways, Ted. “Inventing Walt Whitman.” Virginia Quarterly Review. 81.2 (2005): 1-4.
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Ted Genoways is the author of two books of poems and the literary history Walt Whitman and the Civil War. His awards include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, and inclusion in the Pushcart Prize Anthology and Best American Travel Writing. He was editor of the Virginia Quarterly Review from 2003 to 2012, during which time he won six National Magazine Awards. Ted Genoways, of the Virginia Quarterly Review, asserts that Walt Whitman delivered American poetry out of the shadow of European literature ushering in a unique style of writing by stating, “So it was, on Independence Day 1855, not only American poetry but also the American artistic stance was born” (2). Whitman proved to be a visionary, breaking societal restraints by giving a refreshingly realistic perspective on life and diverting from the norm of nineteenth century society. He stood as an example of progress, carrying a special characteristic separating him from other poets of his time. Those who break the molds of society by providing realistic perspectives, such as Walt Whitman did, leave more of an impression on others. In the eighteen hundreds he obtained people’s interest in his writing by possessing a great deal of optimism regarding life and what the world has to offer. This attribute of Whitman is astonishing for his time when considering the society in which he belonged. This trait is illustrated in the poetic works he presents. In Song of Myself he exclaims, “The pleasures of heaven are with me and the pains of hell are with me… the latter I translate into a
Genoways, Ted. “Inventing Walt Whitman.” Virginia Quarterly Review. 81.2 (2005): 1-4.
MasterFILE Premier. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. http://www.nclive.org/
Ted Genoways is the author of two books of poems and the literary history Walt Whitman and the Civil War. His awards include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, and inclusion in the Pushcart Prize Anthology and Best American Travel Writing. He was editor of the Virginia Quarterly Review from 2003 to 2012, during which time he won six National Magazine Awards. Ted Genoways, of the Virginia Quarterly Review, asserts that Walt Whitman delivered American poetry out of the shadow of European literature ushering in a unique style of writing by stating, “So it was, on Independence Day 1855, not only American poetry but also the American artistic stance was born” (2). Whitman proved to be a visionary, breaking societal restraints by giving a refreshingly realistic perspective on life and diverting from the norm of nineteenth century society. He stood as an example of progress, carrying a special characteristic separating him from other poets of his time. Those who break the molds of society by providing realistic perspectives, such as Walt Whitman did, leave more of an impression on others. In the eighteen hundreds he obtained people’s interest in his writing by possessing a great deal of optimism regarding life and what the world has to offer. This attribute of Whitman is astonishing for his time when considering the society in which he belonged. This trait is illustrated in the poetic works he presents. In Song of Myself he exclaims, “The pleasures of heaven are with me and the pains of hell are with me… the latter I translate into a
Cited: Birmingham, William. “Whitman’s Song of the Possible American Self.” Cross Currents 43.3 (1993): 341 Genoways, Ted. “Inventing Walt Whitman.” Virginia Quarterly Review. 81.2 (2005): 1-4. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. http://www.nclive.org/ Marovich, Beatrice Theological Review 92.2 (2010): 347-366. Acedemic Search Premier. Web. 15 Nov. 2012 http://www.nclive.org/ Stovall, Floyd. “Main Drifts in Whitman’s Poetry.” American Literature 4.1 (1932): 3-21 Academic Search Premier Ed. Nina Baym et al. 8th ed. Vol. C. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007