⋙ Download Song of Myself The First Edition of 1855 + The Death Bed Edition of 1892 eBook Walt Whitman

Song of Myself The First Edition of 1855 + The Death Bed Edition of 1892 eBook Walt Whitman

Download As PDF : Song of Myself The First Edition of 1855 + The Death Bed Edition of 1892 eBook Walt Whitman

This carefully crafted ebook "Song of Myself The First Edition of 1855 + The Death Bed Edition of 1892" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. "Song of Myself" is a poem by Walt Whitman that is included in his work Leaves of Grass. It has been credited as "representing the core of Whitman's poetic vision". The poem was first published without sections as the first of twelve untitled poems in the first (1855) edition of Leaves of Grass. The first edition was published by Whitman at his own expense. In 1856 it was called "A Poem of Walt Whitman, an American" and in 1860 it was simply termed "Walt Whitman." Walter "Walt" Whitman (1819 – 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality.

Song of Myself The First Edition of 1855 + The Death Bed Edition of 1892 eBook Walt Whitman

Song of Myself is Walt Whitman's masterpiece and thus one of the greatest poems ever. The major work in the initial Leaves of Grass edition, he labored on it until the final 1881 version. There is some disagreement about various versions' merits, but it is clear to me and most others that the last is definitive - nay, near-perfect. However, the differences are often greatly exaggerated; they are really quite small, confined mostly to punctuation and section breaks. The first version has eccentric punctuation, including an astounding number ellipses, and lacks sections; the final has essentially standard punctuation and many sections. The poem is virtually the same in both but far easier to read in the latter. This edition is ideal for those wanting to compare them. That said, the poem's genius was overwhelmingly clear from the first. Whitman's mini-epic is indeed a song of himself in that he was the first modern poet to be frank about his mind and, more ground-breakingly, his body. He unashamedly relays thoughts about everything from landscapes to politics to race but also viscerally describes physical reactions to everything from manual labor to homosexual stimuli. Song is that truly rare poem that satisfies both intellectually and on a more primal level. The former comes via Whitman's Emerson-influenced transcendentalism. His near-pantheistic view of life, nature, God, and humanity is sweepingly awe-inspiring; he vividly portrays the unity and divinity of all. Like Emerson, his work is in the best sense inspirational; his vision of human divinity and possibility is a welcome one that has given pep to millions. Whitman also set out to be the first real poet of America and democracy, and Song is the fullest expression of this. Almost every aspect of America is celebrated: its unparalleled natural resources, its cosmopolitan population, its social and political institutions, etc. Celebrated perhaps above all is the American spirit: vast yet expanding, liberty-loving, and in the truest sense democratic. Whitman can make even the most hardened American feel patriotic; it is very hard not to be affected by his panorama of America's mostly untapped greatness. Yet the poem is far from jingoistic; it indeed gives us much to think about through its presentation of problems then facing the nation, especially sexual and racial oppression. In short, the greatest tribute to Song is that it contains as much of America as any poem can - indeed, far more than anyone could have thought possible. One must also not fail to mention its ground-breaking form. Whitman is of course credited with popularizing - and all but introducing - free verse in America, and Song was its major exponent. His long, unrhymed lines match his subject, which is far too large to be otherwise contained; few poems fit form to content more thoroughly. So powerful and engrossing is this that it enchants even me, normally a passionate traditional verse advocate. Whitman's genius, especially here, is so great that it transcends everything; his stature and influence are such that anyone even remotely interested in poetry must read him, and this is the place to start. Song is well worth reading on its own, but the fact that it is in Leaves of Grass, which everyone should have anyway, and many other places makes a standalone very hard to justify unless one wants both versions in one. The important thing at any rate is to read it in some form.

Product details File Size 1137 KB Print Length 136 pages Publisher e-artnow (November 10, 2013) Publication Date November 10, 2013 Sold by  Digital Services LLC Language English ASIN B00GXBBMAM

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Song of Myself The First Edition of 1855 + The Death Bed Edition of 1892 eBook Walt Whitman Reviews

Song of Myself is Walt Whitman's masterpiece and thus one of the greatest poems ever. The major work in the initial Leaves of Grass edition, he labored on it until the final 1881 version. There is some disagreement about various versions' merits, but it is clear to me and most others that the last is definitive - nay, near-perfect. However, the differences are often greatly exaggerated; they are really quite small, confined mostly to punctuation and section breaks. The first version has eccentric punctuation, including an astounding number ellipses, and lacks sections; the final has essentially standard punctuation and many sections. The poem is virtually the same in both but far easier to read in the latter. This edition is ideal for those wanting to compare them. That said, the poem's genius was overwhelmingly clear from the first. Whitman's mini-epic is indeed a song of himself in that he was the first modern poet to be frank about his mind and, more ground-breakingly, his body. He unashamedly relays thoughts about everything from landscapes to politics to race but also viscerally describes physical reactions to everything from manual labor to homosexual stimuli. Song is that truly rare poem that satisfies both intellectually and on a more primal level. The former comes via Whitman's Emerson-influenced transcendentalism. His near-pantheistic view of life, nature, God, and humanity is sweepingly awe-inspiring; he vividly portrays the unity and divinity of all. Like Emerson, his work is in the best sense inspirational; his vision of human divinity and possibility is a welcome one that has given pep to millions. Whitman also set out to be the first real poet of America and democracy, and Song is the fullest expression of this. Almost every aspect of America is celebrated its unparalleled natural resources, its cosmopolitan population, its social and political institutions, etc. Celebrated perhaps above all is the American spirit vast yet expanding, liberty-loving, and in the truest sense democratic. Whitman can make even the most hardened American feel patriotic; it is very hard not to be affected by his panorama of America's mostly untapped greatness. Yet the poem is far from jingoistic; it indeed gives us much to think about through its presentation of problems then facing the nation, especially sexual and racial oppression. In short, the greatest tribute to Song is that it contains as much of America as any poem can - indeed, far more than anyone could have thought possible. One must also not fail to mention its ground-breaking form. Whitman is of course credited with popularizing - and all but introducing - free verse in America, and Song was its major exponent. His long, unrhymed lines match his subject, which is far too large to be otherwise contained; few poems fit form to content more thoroughly. So powerful and engrossing is this that it enchants even me, normally a passionate traditional verse advocate. Whitman's genius, especially here, is so great that it transcends everything; his stature and influence are such that anyone even remotely interested in poetry must read him, and this is the place to start. Song is well worth reading on its own, but the fact that it is in Leaves of Grass, which everyone should have anyway, and many other places makes a standalone very hard to justify unless one wants both versions in one. The important thing at any rate is to read it in some form.