Read this article for an overview of the history and creation of Walt Whitman's
Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" is one of the most famous pieces of American literature that exists today. But what led Whitman to write this piece? What pieces of his life are characterized in the poem? Read this article to learn about the creation and history of Whitman's "Leaves of Grass."
In the period after America was founded, the material and literature that was imported from Europe became the crux of American reading. In the early 1800's, America had unlimited prospects, but it was also a very young place. It needed a culture and an identity, and more importantly, someone to stand as a figurehead of this identity. Many jokes were made in this early time of the lack of an American culture. Whitman created a literary genre that allowed Americans, for the first time, to read American works.
Whitman began working on "Leaves of Grass" in 1847. His first work was undercover, because he had a strong wish to create his poetry out of the public eye. When Whitman did publish the work in 1855, he did so in 12 volumes, paying for the publication himself. His creation of an organic, or naturally growing, line structure is the crucial essence of this famous work. His poetry, following the works of Emerson, is a free piece, that flows down the page without rhyme or meter. Inside the freedom of this verse is a mirroring of the freedom of the American culture, which broke from the old to form a new structure and whole. The work addresses every experience in the human existence, including birth, death, sexuality and spirituality.
Ironically, when the work was published, it created a great scandal. Readers were outraged by the explicit sexual images in his poems. Because it was seen as obscene, it was first banned in many parts of America. Critics gave the work harsh reviews, and he became famous as a controversial figure. Europe was much more accepting, however, and in England, especially, his works were admired and appreciated. Whitman's American popularity did not emerge until several works later, in the 1860's.
Whitman timed the release of his work to be near the fourth of July. His creation of a new style in the piece was in silent answer to the growing need expressed for a national poet, or a poet of the American spirit. Whitman's release of the book came at exactly the right time. Writers like Hawthorne, Poe and Fuller were creating novels and short stories to bolster the American literary tradition. Publishers were stamping the books "Made in America," giving them a distinctly American feel. New printing advances allowed thousands of new immigrants to obtain and read books.
"Leaves of Grass" is Whitman's most important publication, because in it, he established for himself the role of the Great American Poet. He carefully timed and geared his image toward the need of American at the time for a "voice." His book was a response to a poem of Emerson's, "The Poet," which called for a national voice. Claiming to be a common person, an everyday American man, he wrote each piece of the poem as a succession of events in his life and the life of America as a nation. Because his work came to fruition at a time when American was in the midst of war, the nationalistic spirit that swept the nation eventually led him to being named poet of the country. Initial reaction, however, was mixed.
When Whitman created this work, American politics and class structure was undergoing rapid changes. The lower class was falling in stature, and politics was corrupt, with false elections, cheating ballots, etc. The Whig party was collapsing due to controversy over slavery, and the Democratic party was not doing much better. Whitman, a strong advocate against slavery, spoke out a few times against the leadership of the political parties. When his work emerged, it did so at a time of virtual political party collapse. "Leaves of Grass" was defiant, nationalistic, individualistic, explicit and unexpected. It hit like a bomb in the middle of an unexpected crowd. The initial reaction was one of outrage, that a poet would, in a Napoleon-like move, crown himself the Poet of America.
Today, Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" is used widely throughout American schools as a landmark early American creation. As an American poet, Whitman is loved. He is, however, still a controversial figure. Some critics say that it is not possible to say that he is the true American voice because there were other novelists and famous writers at his side in this crucial period of early America. Others disagree, saying that his writing is a distillation of the American identity. One thing that is certain is that he was a distinctive, irrefutable voice in the midst of a growing nation, and for this reason, he and his work is immensely important to
