Walt Whitman: Man and Myth

Abstract

Whitman’s Leaves of Grass constitutes a significant shift in the history of literature, transforming the traditional epic hero into a democratic “Everyman.” This literary achievement is structured upon a tripartite identity involving the historical journalist, a magnified mythic persona, and the reader. By employing a rhetorical mechanism that collapses the distance between the speaker and the audience, the work enables a unique identification where the reader assumes the role of the protagonist. Stylistically, the use of free verse diverges from biblical antecedents through a distinct rhythmic “breathing” and a synthesis of archaic and vernacular language. The thematic focus shifts from the typical literary mourning of lost paradises to an assertion of joy as a present and universal birthright. In treating eroticism with a detached, elemental innocence, the work further removes itself from conventional moralizing. Ultimately, the text functions as a “Platonic archetype” or a “book of books,” transmuting the specificities of American geography and personal biography into a universal vision of democracy. This construction suggests that the poetic persona is a deliberate artifice designed to embody the collective aspirations of a new world, effectively bridging the gap between individual isolation and communal existence. – AI-generated abstract.