聊城大学外国语学院美国文学史与选读课件 Lecture8.ppt

Life of Walt Whitman Born into a working class family in West Hills, New York, on May 31, 1819, just thirty years after George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the newly formed rampant United States The second child of 8 children of Walter Whitman Family moving to Brooklyn across from New York City when Whitman was four (Crossing Brooklyn Ferry ) Life of Walt Whitman Six years in Brooklyn public school, with African American children in separate rooms Frequent visit to Long Island grandparents and love of Long Island (Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking ) Ending formal education at 11 and beginning doing odd jobs, an autodidact First signed article published in the upscale New York Mirror in 1834, a permanent memory Life of Walt Whitman School teaching between 1836 and 1838 inspiring his writing of “Song of Myself” due to a student’s question “What is the grass? ” before turning to newspaper business The Long Islander Journalist to newspapers like the New York Evening Tattler, the New York Statesman, and the New York Sunday Times, especially a mature journalist to The Long Island Star and The Eagle Life of Walt Whitman Emerson’s 1842 lecture and his individualism and transcendentalism 1848 journey to New Orleans laying foundation for his poems in terms of his subject matters Initiation of poetic creation in the 1850s 9 edition of The Leaves of Grass from 1855 to 1892 Death on March 26 1892 Reception of Whitman as a Poet Early readers’ verbal attack: “barbaric yawp” for his casual language, grotesque image, bold egoism, praise of strong body and direct description of sexuality John Greenleaf throwing Whitman’s book into burning stove British poet William Rossetti and Emerson and Thoreau giving positive evaluation while he is alive Walt Whitman’s Literary Contribution Free verse Special poetic rhythm Grand image Praise of American democracy Mastering of history, insight into reality, concern over scientific development, vista of future Walt Whit