... country, steps Walt Whitman into literature, talking like a man unaware that there was ever hitherto such a production as a book, or such a being as a writer" . Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published on the fourth of July in 1855. He was thirty-six years old, not yet a published writer, and could not find any company willing to take a chance on his unusual style ... universe. His preface even called for a new "Kosmic" poetry. Whitman celebrated an untamed communion with nature with overtones of sensuality that appeared shocking even though his poetry expressed solid ...

• Word Count: 1688
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... including the Sunday Times. His journalism earned him enough respect to move onto other forms of expressive art. Whitman's work ranged in interpretation from democratic to metaphysicist to free spirit. In 1855, twelve of his works were published in a collection entitled "Leaves of Grass", which stands today as one of America's most popular literary works. His poetry was considered revolutionary to poetry as it didn ... 't hinge on structure or meter, but rather had a smooth, "spoken word" flow to it. "Leaves of Grass" had a wide range of subject material, and therefore it incorporated man...

• Word Count: 1470
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... formerly been considered unpoetic. Many of his four hundred poems contain musical terms, names of instruments, and names of composers. He insisted that music was "greater than wealth, greater than buildings, ships, religions, paintings." In his final essay written one year before his death in 1891, he sums up his struggles of thirty years to write Leaves of Grass. The opening paragraph of his self-evaluation "A Backward Glance ... O"er Travel"d Road", begins with his reminiscences of "the best of songs heard". His concluding comments again return to thoughts about music, saying that "th...

• Word Count: 1529
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School