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The Structure of Leaves of Grass (Paperback)
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The Structure of Leaves of Grass (Paperback)
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Modern critics and contemporary readers familiar with the field of
Whitman criticism may find surprising an analysis of the structure
of Leaves of Grass that concerns itself with Whitman as the
poet-prophet and the identification of Whitman (or of his persona
in the poem) with Christ. Early twentieth-century criticism has
tended to exalt the early Whitman at the expense of the later one
and to regard as poetically inferior the image of the national and
democratically prophetic Whitman as expressed in the later
editions. Thomas Edward Crawley, in full knowledge of the
contemporary currents of Whitman criticism, chooses to revert to
this older view, through which he sheds new light on Whitman's
artistic achievement. The basic premise of this study is that Walt
Whitman's Leaves of Grass is a unified work, lyrical, yet epic in
quality, design, and spirit. Crawley's purpose is to demonstrate
the basis of this unity: its origin and operation and the nature of
its realization. He demonstrates that an aesthetically maturing
Whitman, in this work, was finally able to harmoniously bring
together his individual and social subject matter. Crawley defines
the unifying spirit of Leaves of Grass in terms of Whitman's
concept of the poet-prophet and the poet-reader relationship. This
concept is conveyed primarily through the development of the
Christ- symbol, the dominant image in the poem. Through a careful
analysis of Whitman's handling of the simultaneous development of
the poet-prophet and the nation, his masterful fusion of the
personal element and the national element, an understanding of the
complex structure of Leaves of Grass emerges. Crawley presents an
analysis of Whitman's final and carefully arrived at grouping of
the lyrics in the 1881 edition according to a definite,
distinguishable pattern-a pattern revealed in Whitman's use of
allusions, in his transitional poems and passages, and, most
important, in his thematic handling of imagery. The cumulative
effect of these devices is emphasized. The organic development of
Leaves of Grass, made possible by Whitman's faith in and careful
adherence to his concept of the organic theory of art, is
substantiated. Crawley concludes his analysis with a detailed
examination of the growth of Leaves of Grass as reflected in the
various editions leading up to the 1881 volume, the last to be
revised and published by Whitman.
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