New Books in Literary Studies On Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass"
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Aug 5, 2022 
In this engaging discussion, Harvard professor Elisa New, an expert on Walt Whitman and the creator of Poetry in America, delves into the rich tapestry of Whitman's life and work. She explores his Brooklyn roots, the bold ambitions behind Leaves of Grass, and the critical reception of his provocative poetry. New highlights Whitman's unique style that celebrates urban diversity, his vision of a porous self, and the embodiment of democratic ideals. She also connects Whitman’s legacy to contemporary artists and his influence on movements like hip hop.
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Form Matches Democratic Scale
- Whitman's form broke with rhymed, memorizable verse, using long free-flowing lines that overflow pages and blur poem boundaries.
- This scale matched his ambition to write a poem larger than any single reader or moment.
City Life Shapes Poetic Rhythm
- Whitman captured the anonymity, diversity, and rapid sensory shifts of urban life in New York, shaping a new poetic rhythm.
- His juxtaposing shards of experience echoed the cinematic, cut-up perception of the city.
A Porous, Distributed Self
- Whitman's 'self' is porous and relational rather than a sovereign, unified interior.
- He emphasizes exchange with the world and material continuity over fixed individuality.
