Walt Whitman- Tweener

Walt Whitman was a poet during a transition in literary time periods. His work included many coinciding characteristics, so it was difficult to categorize him in just one time period. Was he a Realism author who used great descriptions to tell of nature and reality, or was he a Modernism author who found new ways of interacting with the world? With sources that fit each literary period’s criteria, Walt Whitman can be categorized in only one way: a tweener.

                Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, a collection of poetry, is considered one of the most studied books of American poetry. Before becoming an author, Whitman worked as a newspaper editor and printer, so he had a large part in the publishing of his book. In fact, he would change the design and reorder the poems over and over again before finally settling with the sixth published version of the novel. Whitman’s perfectionist quality, which some might consider unnecessary attention to detail, is what made him such a great Realism writer. Being able to describe something to a reader without straight up saying it is not easy. One must have knowledge in human psychology in order to create layered characters in their work. A higher level of writing would include characters that the reader can understand emotionally instead of just a physical image. These details were commonly used in Realism writing to give readers an accurate portrayal of the events that occurred. In Walt Whitman’s “Poets to Come”, he describes a scenario between two generations. He says, “I am a man who, sauntering along without fully stopping, turns a casual look upon you and then averts his face, Leaving it to you to prove and define it, Expecting the main things from you” (Poets). The subtle description of the scene gives off a powerful message with so much more meaning behind it. The reader is able to picture the scene in their mind, thanks to the use of imagery in the poem, and get a good understanding of the situation, the entire purpose of Realism writing.

Modernism writing can easily be summed up in one word: Individualism. The literary period broke tradition by creating new ways to view and interact with out surroundings. Inner self and reflections were a couple new ways people would interact. Walt Whitman was no stranger to self reflection, and he encouraged his readers to make decisions for themselves and no one else. In “Song of Myself” Whitman writes, “You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me, You shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself” (Song).

Walt Whitman was known to have his own rhythm in his poetry. He would include punctuation such as capitalization or periods in odd places in order to create an effect. Any emphasis he puts on a word or phrase has a specific meaning. It may not be plainly stated, but Whitman’s special punctuation has meaning to his poetry. It is a rare characteristic that isn’t seen in every poet’s work.

Whitman, Walt. "Poets to Come." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 03 Apr. 2012.

Whitman, Walt. "Song of Myself." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 03 Apr. 2012.