Containing multitudes: Walt Whitman and the British literary tradition

Abstract

Note on Notes and Citation Preface 1. An Introduction: Leaves and the Retrospective Lands Terrible Query: An American Literature? That Wonderful Little Island: British Literature in Leaves of Grass Prospective: Lacks and Wants Yet 2. Shakespeare and Whitman Whitman and the Bacon Debate Walt vs. The Bard Mellifluous and Honey-tongued Poets Whitman and the Romantics' Shakespeare: Victor Hugo Parallel Lives? 3. Milton and Whitman Debutant Poets: 1645, 1855 Whitman and America Read Milton Camerados Close Satan and Walt Answerable Styles Strange Bedfellows After All? Awakeners 4. Burns and Whitman Camerado Bards Walt Reads Rob Self-esteem Mystic Tie of Brotherhood The Self-satisfied Preachers Outre Beings Conscious Painful Being Old Acquaintance Of Tombs: A Coda 5. Blake and Whitman Making the Connection Two Mystics Together Clinging Other, Stronger Lessons Poets of Contrariety and Rebellion Iconoclasts: Poetry Unfettered Poets of Sexual Delight Announcing Adhesiveness Death's Door: A Coda 6. Wordsworth and Whitman Walt on Wordsworth The 'Prelude' to Whitman Prospectus: Knowing the World Self-empowerment 'Green' Poets: Nature and Democracy 'Mighty Scheme of Truth': Prophets of a New Religion 'Great Social Principle of Life': Comradery At War with General Tendency Separate Persons 7. Whitman and Some Other 'Big Fellows' Walter Scott Thomas Carlyle Alfred Tennyson Oscar Wilde Algernon Swinburne Notes Foreword Introduction Shakespeare Milton Burns Blake Wordsworth Some Other 'Big Fellows'