When the 52-year-old Walt Whitman published his essay “From Democratic Vistas” in 1871, the end of the Civil War was only six years ago. The wounds of this five-year-war of brother against brother were certainly not healed and the question of re-unification was still un-answered. During the 1860s and 1870s the United States were changing tremendously. Due to the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era and the following Gilded Age, America was turning into a modern, industrialized country where materialism seemed to be the finite answer. Though Whitman fully acknowledged this materialistic development of his country, he nevertheless saw beyond the simple answers of wealth and prosperity. Whitman realized that the United States found themselves at a turning point, which was to decide upon their democratic future.
At this point in time, Whitman wrote his essay “From Democratic Vistas” on the outlooks of America’s future democracy. According to him, this future lied in a democratic nationality and a spiritual union that could only be achieved through a national literature.
The call for a national literature led by the American poet was not something new in Whitman’s written work. Already in his “Preface 1855 – Leaves of Grass,” published six years before the beginning of the Civil War, he had formulated that America “with veins full of poetical stuff most need[s] poets.” Nevertheless, there is a noticeable difference between the general role of the poet in his 1855 preface and the urgent need of national literary figures in times of re-unification that Whitman put forth in his 1871 essay. While Whitman’s poet in the 1855 preface obtained the role of an observer of the country and her common people, the poet’s role in “From Democratic Vistas” changed into an active builder of democracy.
This change of role is due to Whitman’s personal experiences during the war. The healing process of re-unification after the war was not simply a materialistic or institutional reunion for him, but rather an act of forming a sense of nationhood within the American people. This was the poet’s task. Being no longer an observer from the outside, Whitman’s challenged poet was forced to take up an active stand in the nation-building process after the Civil War.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Preface 1855 – Leaves of Grass
i. The Poet’s Role
ii. The Poet’s Language
iii. The Poet’s Themes
III. From Democratic Vistas (1871)
i. The State of the Nation
ii. A National Literature for America
iii. The Poet’s Role in Developing a National Identity
IV. Poetry – The New Religion
V. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This academic paper examines Walt Whitman's evolving conceptualization of the poet's function in shaping American national identity. By conducting a comparative analysis of his early theoretical essay, "Preface 1855 – Leaves of Grass," and his post-Civil War work, "From Democratic Vistas" (1871), the research explores how historical trauma and the need for post-bellum re-unification transformed the poet from an observer into an active, nation-building architect of democracy.
- The comparative development of the poet's role between 1855 and 1871.
- The influence of the American Civil War on Whitman's political and social thought.
- The concept of national literature as a foundation for spiritual and political union.
- The intersection of literature, democracy, and religion in American society.
- The transition of the poet from an equal observer to a "divine literatus" and spiritual leader.
Excerpt from the Book
II.i. The Poet’s Role
In his 1855 preface Whitman put great emphasize on the strong ties that exist between the American poet, his country and its common people. This connection appears to be unbreakable for the poet’s “country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it,” as Whitman concluded. Whitman’s trinity of country, people, and poet repeatedly gains its inspiration from within itself. The United States are not “merely a nation but a teeming nation of nations” and are in themselves “essentially the greatest poem.” Furthermore, America’s outstanding personalities are not people from the elite, as it is the case in other countries, but her common people, who Whitman regarded as “unrhymed poetry” as well. The third angle in this symbiotic triangular is the poet, whose work is inspired by the close relationship to his country and his people.
According to Whitman the American poet should always be on the same level with his people and “his spirit [should always] respond[ ] to his country’s spirit, in order to reflect upon everything that is of importance in his homeland and to his fellow citizens. Even though Whitman’s poet is certainly not restricted to be a narrow-minded nationalist, his subjects should nevertheless arise from the soul of his own people, which is likewise his own soul. In “Preface 1855”, Whitman encouraged the American poet to concentrate mainly on American topics and treat the other continents as “contributions.”
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: This chapter contextualizes Walt Whitman’s 1871 essay within the backdrop of the American Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, establishing the poet's vision for a national literature as the key to re-unification.
II. Preface 1855 – Leaves of Grass: This section analyzes Whitman's initial theoretical framework where he defines the poet as an equal observer of the common people, deeply rooted in the American landscape and everyday life.
III. From Democratic Vistas (1871): This chapter investigates the shift in Whitman’s ideology post-Civil War, focusing on his call for a national literature to provide the moral and spiritual foundation necessary for a fractured democracy.
IV. Poetry – The New Religion: This section explores how Whitman envisioned poetry as a replacement for traditional institutional religion, positioning the poet as a spiritual leader responsible for cultivating the "religious" character of the nation.
V. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the evolution of the poet from an observer to a political, nation-building leader, reflecting on the complexity and contradictions in Whitman’s democratic visions.
Keywords
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, Democratic Vistas, American Literature, National Identity, Civil War, Reconstruction Era, Poet's Role, Democracy, Nation-building, Spiritual Union, Divine Literatus, Common Man, American Identity, Literary Criticism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this academic paper?
The paper examines the changing role of the poet in Walt Whitman's work, specifically focusing on how his concept of the poet evolved from an observer in 1855 to a nation-building leader by 1871.
What are the central thematic fields explored?
The core themes include the formation of American national identity, the role of the poet as a social and moral architect, the influence of the Civil War on democratic thought, and the relationship between literature and individual/national spirituality.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to analyze the shift in Whitman’s rhetoric and philosophy between his 1855 preface and his 1871 essay "From Democratic Vistas," explaining how his view of literature's duty changed in response to national crisis.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author utilizes a comparative textual analysis of Whitman's primary prose works and secondary literary criticism to trace the development of his concepts over time.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main sections analyze the poet's language, the poet's themes, the state of the nation, the necessity of a national literature, and the poet’s role as a moral and religious substitute for traditional institutions.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Walt Whitman, national identity, democratic vistas, Civil War, literature, spirituality, and nation-building.
How does Whitman’s perception of the poet differ between his earlier and later work?
In 1855, Whitman saw the poet as an equal observer of the common man; by 1871, the trauma of the Civil War compelled him to view the poet as a "divine literatus" or spiritual leader who must actively reconstruct and democratize society.
What is the significance of the "divine literatus" in Whitman’s later writing?
The "divine literatus" represents a figure who takes on the spiritual duties previously assigned to priests, acting as the bedrock for the moral and religious character of the United States after the dissolution caused by the Civil War.
- Quote paper
- Sonja Longolius (Author), 2004, The Democratic Poet and His Prose on Democracy. The Poet's Role in Walt Whitman's "Preface 1855 - Leaves of Grass" and "From Democratic Vistas", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/41724
