American Literature:Literary Eras and AuthorsLecture 11 Walt WhitmanLecture 11 Walt WhitmanAmerican Literature (I) Autumn 2008Walt WhitmanWalt Whitman I hear America singingAmerican Literature (I) Autumn 2008Walt Whitman: The True Voice of Americansassume v. 假定；设想 atom n. 原子(诗中暗指人是由相同的物质构成) loaf v. 游荡；闲混 spear n. (草的)叶片 law of nature 天理。天理的存在是近代西方民主 思想体系的支柱之一, 其主要含义是, 天理高于君 权, 天理的基本原则是人人生而平等。 Leaves of Grass 草叶集。惠特曼创作的全部 诗歌都收集在此诗集中。1855年初版时仅有诗歌 l2篇, 惠特曼去世那年出版的第九版中有诗歌400 多篇。 free verse 自由诗体 rhyme v. 押韵 Song of Myself “自我之歌”, 草叶集中的一首 长诗, 被认为是惠特曼的最佳诗作。 disposition n. 气质；意向 rememberancer n. 纪念品；提醒物 transpire v. 发生 filth n. 污秽 denounce v. 谴责、痛斥 whine v. 哀诉 demented n. 痴呆的；精神错乱的 mania n. 疯狂；狂热 array of terms 大量的言语 pismire n. 蚂蚁 wren n. 鹪鹩odorless a. 无气味的 undisguised a. 不掩饰的；公开的 naked a. 裸露的 respiration n. 呼吸 inspiration n. 鼓舞；灵感 homosexual a. 同性恋的 abase v. 贬低 transparent a. 透明的；半透明的 athwart ad. 横跨 bosom-bone n. 胸骨 plunge v. (使)投入 civil war 内战 union n. 联邦；工会 (be)sworn in (总统)宣誓就职 inauguration n. (美国)总统就职 When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd “当紫 丁香最近在庭院中开放的时候”(惠特曼悼念林肯 总统的著名诗歌) droop v. 低垂；下落 mourn v. 哀悼 coffin n. 棺材 sprig n. 小枝 white locks 白发 bequeath v. 遗赠Walt Whitman: The True Voice of AmericansQuestions for Comprehension and Discussion1. Do you agree with the idea that “Walt Whitman became a poet almost overnight?” Why or why not? 2. In his poems. Whitman celebrates the common people and he also regards grass as a sign of everlasting life. Are there any links between the two - people and grass? 3. While Whitman was seen by the British as the outstanding voice of the new world, few Americans recognized his greatness. Why was there such a striking contrast then? Why were many great writers not fully appreciated while they were alive? Write down your answer with supporting examples, and then air your opinion in the class. American Literature (I) Autumn 2008“I celebrate myself ” Walt Whitman was born May 31, 1819 on South Huntington, Long Island, New York. He was almost entirely self-educated, especially admiring the work of Dante, Shakespeare, and Homer. His mother described him as “very good, but very strange”. His brother described him as being “stubbornersic than a load of bricks.”American Literature (I) Autumn 2008Career Apprenticed to a printer. Taught school at 17. Editor of The Brooklyn Eagle, a respected newspaper, but was fired for his outspoken opposition to slavery. Civil War nurse.American Literature (I) Autumn 2008Whitmans PoetryWhitman declared that his poetry would have: Long lines that capture the rhythms of natural speech Free verse Vocabulary drawn from everyday speech A base in reality, not moralityAmerican Literature (I) Autumn 2008Leaves of Grass The first version of his masterpiece, Leaves of Grass, appeared in 1855. Emerson praised Whitmans poetry as “the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet to contribute”. Whitman used these words, written by Emerson in a letter to Whitman, in a later introduction to Leaves of Grass. Emerson was not amused. John Greenleaf Whittier threw his copy of the book into the fireplace. Another critic dismissed it as “just a barbaric yawp.” Longfellow, Holmes, and Lowell were equally unimpressed. Even Thoreau was appalled by Whitmans poetry, and he was certainly no conformist!American Literature (I) Autumn 2008Whats his deal? Why were so many writers shocked by Whitman? His lack of regular rhyme and meter (free verse) and nontraditional poetic style and subject matter shocked more traditional writers. He also wrote poetry with unabashedly sexual imagery and themes, some of them homoerotic. Examples include the Calamus poems and “I Sing the Body Electric”.American Literature (I) Autumn 2008O Captain! My Captain! Whitman wrote poetry in praise of Abraham Lincoln “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd” (an elegy written after Lincolns assassination). “O Captain! My Captain!” memorializes Lincolns passing as the death of a great man and the death of the era he dominated. It was used to great effect in Dead Poets Society.American Literature (I) Autumn 2008Whitmans Influence Along with Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman stands as one of the two giants of American poetry in the nineteenth century. Whitmans poetry would influence such Harlem Renaissance writers as Langston Hughes and James Weldon Johnson. Whitman influenced Beat poets such as Allen Ginsburg. Chilean writer Pablo Neruda claimed to have been influenced by Whitman. Whitmans poetry was a model for French symbolists, such as Stphane Mallarm, Paul Verlaine, and Arthur Rimbaud. Modernist poets such as Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, and W.H. Auden were also influenced by Whitman. American Literature (I) Autumn 2008“Out of the Cradle, endlessly rocking ” Whitman died on March 26, 1892, one