Transatlantic Intersections: The Role of Ralph Waldo Emerson in the Dissemination of Blakean Thought into the Poetry of Walt Whitman

Abstract

Whitman quoted no one in his poetry, at least not directly, as Matt Miller convincingly mgues in Collage of Myself However, Whitman was not above making use of the work of other writers in his poetry. It is through Whitman's early reading in conjunction with his collage approach to composition that he came to create Leaves of Grass as something which appears wholly original, but which resonates with so many echoes. It is often argued that Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the most important influences on Whitman 's Leaves of Grass. The extent and significance of Emerson 's influence has been a subject of inquiry' since the advent of Whitman scholarship. This text will focus on Emerson's essays and lectures as the main influences on Whitman which can be read as providing a mediating influence between Blake and Whitman.