Walt Whitman's America: A Cultural Biography | David S. Reynolds

Walt Whitman's America: A Cultural Biography | David S. Reynolds | Excellent Cultural Biography

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Walt Whitman's Ame...

	Walt Whitman's America: A Cultural Biography David S. Reynolds Vintage, 1996 - 671 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

In his poetry Walt Whitman set out to encompass all of America and in so doing heal its deepening divisions. This magisterial biography demonstrates the epic scale of his achievement, as well as the dreams and anxieties that impelled it, for it places the poet securely within the political and cultural context of his age.

Combing through the full range of Whitman's writing, David Reynolds shows how Whitman gathered inspiration from every stratum of nineteenth-century American life: the convulsions of slavery and depression; the raffish dandyism of the Bowery "b'hoys"; the exuberant rhetoric of actors, orators, and divines. We see how Whitman reconciled his own sexuality with contemporary social mores and how his energetic courtship of the public presaged the vogues of advertising and celebrity. Brilliantly researched, captivatingly told, Walt Whitman's America is a triumphant work of scholarship that breathes new life into the biographical genre.

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The best biography of Whitman available

I'm a latecomer to Whitman's work, only really discovering it in the past decade. (I'm in my 40s.) It was Reynold's book Beneath the American Renaissance that prodded me in this direction, and, naturally, I wanted to read his more complete take on Walt.

What stands out in this book is the way Reynolds weaves together not only Whitman's life but also the context of the period, which makes it so much easier to understand what Walt was saying. Reynolds is without doubt the best explainer of this period, as it applies to literature, and reading this book is both a pleasure and an enlightening experience, providing a history lesson at the same time as it looks at Whitman's writings.

A must-read book for any Whitman fan.

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Excellent Cultural Biography

Whitman was a difficult man and poet. Obviously, if it were not for the poetry, no one would think about him at all today, but oddly what makes this book so good is its long look at 19th century America through Whitman's life experience rather than his words. There are not many quotes from the poems and they're not really missed, in fact some of the best are not even mentioned. It's interesting to compare the life work of a poet and the age he lived in, especially someone like Walt Whitman, so sensitive and hopeful, at the same time living in the what is, for most of us, alternate universe of same sex attraction. Anyway, one's liking or disliking of Whitman does not affect one's enjoyment of this book, which is, as the title tells us, about America during Whitman's life. All of the major topics of the book: politics, homoeroticism, intellectual and religious movements, the growth of the cities, family life, have infinite possibilities and Reynolds does a good job of presenting an appetizing amount of information. He has a very balanced approach to topics quite liable to unbalance an author, I'm thinking especially of homosexuality and politics of the 1850s. And it was very interesting to know that censorship of Whitman was directed at the heterosexual images in the poems. One tends to forget how frigid society was in the Victorian age, how far it is from then to now and Howard Stern.

Reynolds also does a good job of describing Whitman's own ambitions and efforts at persona management. Poets are now so unpopular and so much in a realm of their own that we are surprised that the father of modern poetry hoped to be quoted frequently and by all types. It wasn't unreasonable: Longfellow was immensely popular and so was Whittier, but Whitman who, at least took up topics that still interest us, willfully insisted on a style that made his work very difficult to memorize. His one so to say singable verse, "Oh Captain" was popular and memorized. It was still included in old high school poetry textbooks when I was young - forty-five years ago - but I think has been now forgotten. And Reynolds depicts the aging Whitman trying to patch up and sustain a consistent public image. This too is interesting because this really did work. Whitman was the American image of a poet for quite a while. Nobody knows what Longfellow looked like, Poe certainly doesn't fit the part, and jumping to the 20th century, T. S. Eliot, though great, looks too constipated, in other words that avuncular Face easily confused with Santa meant uplifting and benevolent poetry to people who had never read and never would read a word of it.

All in all, highly recommended.

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A thorough bio that depicts a complicated man

Very thorough biography that refuses to give us a simple overall character of Whitman. Whitman was a complicated man, often living an ironically different life than the words he left behind. Reynolds discusses Whitman, his work, and his sexuality all within the context of the changing times of 19th century America - keeping in mind that Whitman lived through most of that century and watched as its values and interests changed around him (and he adapted as necessary). Reynolds's style is also very engaging and easy to follow.

Great Supplemental Text

As one who holds a degree in American Studies (M.A., Baylor), I've lamented the lack of good books on American culture. When I was teaching (see "My Calvin Seminary Story") a course related to American culture I searched far and wide for something very readable that gives the background of life as we know it today. These chapters explore every facet of American culture from religion and race to sexuality and slavery and social status. The arts, politics, and the idea of democracy are also featured. This book is not just for historians. It's for anyone interested in American culture and it would make a great supplemental text in courses on American history and culture--or for a course like the one I taught, The Gospel and American Culture. If nothing else, it is a great resource to have on your bookcase shelf.

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Whitman Poetry Lovers only

If you are a Whitman poetry lover (or aspire to be), this is an interesting book. The author explores the manifold influences on Whitman's writing, from Opera to Phrenology (and all the other letters of the alphabet), and uses snippets of poetry to prove his points.

I had not explored Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" before reading this book, and was looking for a portrait of Whitman and his times, not a compilation of "influences," A to Z. In short, I found it dull. The author's writing style doesn't help either, which is straightforward at best, pedantic at worst ("No other biographer has noted...").

If you love Whitman's poetry, by all means buy and read this book. However, if you are looking for a more straightforward biography or a picture of America in the age of Whitman, you might look elswhere. Please, tell me what you find!

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reviews: page 1, 2

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