Companion to Walt Whitman

Donald D. Kummings is a Professor of English at the Parkside Campus of the University of Wisconsin. His books on Whitman include Walt Whitman, 1940-1975: A Reference Guide (1982), Approaches to Teaching Whitman’s ‘Leaves of Grass’ (1990) and with J.R. LeMaster Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia (1998). In 1990, his collection of poems, The Open Road Trip was awarded the Posner Poetry Prize by the Council for Wisconsin Writers. In 1997, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named him Wisconsin Professor of the Year.

“This book will be indispensable to Whitman lovers and students of American literary and cultural history.” Choice"A Companion to Walt Whitman is an erudite exploration of not only the works themselves and their reflection of Whitman’s era, but also the valuable insights they convey to present and future generations. Highly recommended."Midwest Book Review "A significant achievement, constituting a companion not only to the poet, but to the entire field of Whitman studies."Walt Whitman Quarterly Review

• Notes on Contributors ix List of Illustrations xivAbbreviations of Standard Whitman Works xviIntroduction 1Donald D. KummingsPart I: The Life 91 Whitman's Life and Work, 1819–92 11Gregory EiseleinPart II: The Cultural Context 272 Journalism 29Douglas A. Noverr3 The City 42William Pannapacker4 Labor and Laborers 60M. Wynn Thomas5 Politics 76Gary Wihl6 Oratory 87J. R. LeMaster7 Slavery and Race 101Martin Klammer8 Nation and Identity 122Eldrid Herrington9 A Theory of Organic Democracy 136Stephen John Mack10 Imperialism 151Walter Grunzweig11 Sexuality 164Maire Mullins12 Gender 180Sherry Ceniza13 Religion and the Poet-Prophet 197David Kuebrich14 Science and Pseudoscience 216Harold Aspiz15 Nineteenth-century Popular Culture 233Brett Barney16 Opera and Other Kinds of Music 257Kathy Rugoff17 Nineteenth-century Visual Culture 272Ed Folsom18 Civil War 290Luke Mancuso19 Nature 311M. Jimmie Killingsworth20 Death and the Afterlife 325William J. Scheick21 Twentieth-century Mass Media Appearances 341Andrew Jewell and Kenneth M. PricePart III: The Literary Context 35922 Language 361Tyler Hoffman23 Style 377James Perrin Warren24 Literary Contemporaries 392Joann P. Krieg25 The Publishing History of Leaves of Grass 409Amanda Gailey26 The Poet's Reception and Legacy 439Andrew C. HigginsPart IV: Texts 455Works of Poetry 45627 The First (1855) Edition of Leaves of Grass 457Edward Whitley28 "Song of Myself" 471Kerry C. Larson29 "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" 484James Dougherty30 "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking" 496Howard Nelson31 "Live Oak, with Moss," "Calamus," and "Children of Adam" 508Steven Olsen-Smith32 Civil War Poems in "Drum-Taps" and "Memories of President Lincoln" 522Ted GenowaysProse Works 53933 Democratic Vistas 540Robert Leigh Davis34 Specimen Days 553Martin G. Murray35 The Prose Writings: Selected Secondary Sources 566Donald D. KummingsIndex 588