Whitman Annotated Bibliography

The role of women in the Civil War as seen through Whitman's Drum-Taps collection...

Having a hard time figuring out what I am trying to say on this subject. I know I have something to say, but I really can't figure out what it is! 

• Anonymous. "Drum Taps.—Walt Whitman." Watson's Weekly Art Journal  (4 November 1865): 34-5.  http://www.whitmanarchive.org/criticism/reviews/drumtaps/anc.00052.html  
• “In all human organizations, whether those of personal or of national life, there is the moment of consciousness as self, as individual—a moment full of original force.”  
• Compares Whitman and the artist Ward as having similar intentions.  Not all that useful.
• Howells, W. D. "Drum-Taps." The Round Table 2 (11 November 1865): 147-8.  http://www.whitmanarchive.org/criticism/reviews/drumtaps/anc.00053.html  
• “The reader understands, doubtless, from the title, that nearly all these pieces relate to the war; and they celebrate many of the experiences of the author in the noble part he took in the war. One imagines that burly tenderness of the man who went to supply the / "——lack of woman's nursing" / that there was in the hospitals of the field, and woman's tears creep unconsciously to the eyes as the pity of his heart communicates itself to his reader's.”
• “We must not mistake this fascination for a higher quality. In the tender eyes of an ox lurks a melancholy, soft and pleasing to the glance as the pensive sweetness of a woman's eyes; but in the orb of the brute there is no hope of expression, and in the woman's look there is the endless delight of history, the heavenly; possibility of utterance.”
• Whitman’s poetry is not deep enough and does not go beyond conscious utterances.  Is not considered a true poet.  Useful for mention to women.  
• Krieg, Joann P. Walt Whitman and the Prostitutes.  http://proxy.library.siue.edu:2215/journals/literature_and_medicine/v014/14.1krieg.html
• Women are not ignored in Whitman's work as they are, for the most part, in the works of Herman Melville and Henry David Thoreau. In fact, Whitman has escaped feminist attack largely because the many gestures of inclusiveness--of race, class, and gender--in the poems confirm his assertion that he was "the poet of the woman the same as the man."
• Whitman's ideal woman was first and always a mother, and most of his concern for the improvement of woman's lot in his America stemmed from his expectation of "perfect women, indispensible to endow the birth-stock of the New World."
• Still very much under the cultural influence of environmentalism, he allows the image of body as house to diffuse and become attached to other architectural structures--domestic dwellings, houses of government and church--structures that represent the basic institutions of society, all of which have shaped his culturally determined perception.
• Whitman was confused by the role of the prostitute, almost fascinated.  Article claims that Whitman frequently talks about women.  
• Body as house or building.
• Belasco, Susan.  From the Field: Walt Whitman’s Periodical Poetry
• Research based on his work in the journals and periodicals of the day.
• “Clearly, it was patriotic to publish poetry; and publication in the periodicals led a fortunate poet to book publication” 5.
• Mentions that some of the Drum Taps poems were previewed in journals and periodicals beforehand.
• Bridgman, Richard.  “Whitman’s Calendar of Leaves”
• Drum Taps mentioned on 425.
• Calendrically significant total of 52 in entirety.  
• Possibly interesting as a footnote, but no mention of women. 
• Ertan, Deniz. “When Men and Mountains Meet: Ruggles, Whitman, and Their Landscapes”
• Whitman’s childlike interest in everything.
• Not useful it seems. 
• Kilingsworth, Myrth Jimmie.  “Whitman and Motherhood: A Historical View”.
• Seemes to be quite useful for my paper.  
• “Before examining the poetry itself, I think it necessary totouch on his notion of female superiority as presentd in his prose writngs and place it into the context of nineteenth centurey American social thought” 29.
• Questioning the acceptance of Whitman's use of the mother.  Some feminists jumped on the Whitman bandwagon back when Feminism was just starting.  Now, with more experience, they feel that his approach to women is more superficial and fake (for lack of better word choice). 
• Graham, Rosemary.  "The Prostitute in the Garden: Walt Whitman, 'Fanny Hill', and the Fantasy of Female Pleasure"
• Whitman seemed to really struggle in placing the prostitiute in his ideal America - he did not agree with her job; however, he did agree with her interest in motherhood and sexuality.  He was fascinated with the prostitute.
• Clarke, Frances M.  "Forgetting the Women: Debates over Female Patriotism in the Aftermath of America's Civil War."
• The Civil War procured the most femal involvement of any war before it.  While this was important for a time, soon it became glossed over and history featured only the roles of white men. 
• Work of Frank Moore is most influential
• Loving, Jerome. “Whitman’s Idea of Women.” Mickle Street Review.
• Finding this collection of WHitman essays has been fantastic! This one is particularly interesting as it examines much of the contradiction to my paper.  Loving talks frequently about women and Whitman from his other poems, but never mentions Drum-Taps.
• Reyonlds, David S. “Whitman and Nineteenth-Century Views of Gender and Sexuality.” Mickle Street Review.
• Another great essay.
• This one is working well as a source for possibly what influenced Whitman's writing styles.
• I am contemplating the idea that perhaps Whitman's Drum-Taps, which was so much emotionally fueled, allows us a glimpse at a Whitman who is less impressioned by outsiders.  Allowing us a clearer glimpse into his realistic views of women.
• Maslan, Mark.  "Whitman's 'Strange Hand': Body as Text in Drum-Taps" ELH
• THis work looks at Drum-Taps in an interestig way.
• Mostly not helpful, but he does talk about the mother in "Come Up from the Fields Father".  
• His own examination also points out that the pain in the poem is delivered by the reading of the letter, not the physical pain of the wounded soldier.  

#233 Blue and Gray

Dickinson's #233 has much debate against it being a Civil War poem... I think it is... Used the Dickinson Lexicon to help me as much as possible, but even that was fighting against me.


A Slash of Blue! A sweep of Gray! 
Some scarlet patches - on the way - 
Compose an evening sky - 

A little Purple - slipped between - 
Some Ruby Trousers - hurried on - 
A Wave of Gold - A Bank of Day - 
This just makes out the Morning Sky! 

Actually had time to crop & edit this pic... so enjoy :)

Women in Drum Taps...

Notes on Drum Taps, including the references to women...

Dickinson poems

Notes on some Dickinson poems...

Children of Adam... and Eve?

A glimpse into some thoughts on Children of Adam...

Whitman's Body and Soul

Looking over revisions to the lines, "I am the poet of the body, / And I am the poet of the soul" from Whitman's Song of Myself...

Some Dickinson poems...

Notes on some Dickinson poems... (also sketches of a tent, a puppy, and a sack lunch...)

Important quotes form Habegger...

"The frank erotic passion of Dickinson's mature poetry need not obscure her naivete as a young woman, when she could not allow sex, something 'low' and 'of the earth,' to have anything to do with the love that found fulfillment in 'heaven' (306).

"One of the biggest mistakes we make with Dickinson is to detach her from the religious currents of the 1850s, without which she could not have become herself" (310).

"The pattern running through these varied events - Mother's perplexing illness, Loring's failure, Norcross versus Norcross, the Panic, the A&B fiasco - was one of collapse and cover-up, of trouble too deep-seated to be examined in the light of day" (346).

Whitman day...

Whitman's prose seems too much like his poetry.  He uses many of the same poetic devices, only it's within his paragraphs and sentences.  Why write your prose like poetry, why not just write poetry?

Favorite line from Leaves of Grass, "I know perfectly well my own egotism," (76).  I think Whitman has a hard time separating his narrator from himself.

On pages 60-61, Whitman begins almost every line with "Where;" the use of tis seems to draw people together.  However, in the middle of his "Where" statements are interrupted for a handful of stanzas.  Whitman still uses new locations, but I feel it is important to note that these are not "Where" statements... What is different about these statements?  I admit I'm not sure, but it requires further investigation.  Also, on pg. 60, he mentions "the press" which I believe is his only relation to writers; and it is only the workers in a factory - not real writers.

Whitman's "This Compost"

Something has separated Whitman from nature.
He is angry at nature.
Angry that nature, even though it appears dead, is bringing forth new life; where as his own body as it dies will seem to only die.
The land is continually filled with dead bodies.
How can nature hide all of the death that it has been witness to?
Perhaps the dead things have been buried and can be overturned with a plough or spade.

Perhaps all the soil has once been part of a sick, dead, person!
"The resurrection of the wheat appears with pale visage out of its graves." Resurrection - birth from death
The new spring life is so innocent - oblivious to the death it has overcome just be bursting forth from the ground.

Whitman wants to blame the decay of plant life on a diseased wind, yet finds they "... are really not infectious."
He realizes that nature is in fact safe - although in itself causes its own illness, death, and decay.
How can something that dies as if by nothing be safe?
He is amazed that everything can be so clean, fresh, when all of it once came from something that lie dying.

It is this realization that has drawn a line between him and nature.
How can nature "...grow such sweet things out of such corruption?"
Whitman cannot accept that he just cannot understand the workings of the Earth.
How can the Earth be so generous when all we give in return is "death"?

Some Dickinson thoughts...

591 Who's the king?
479 House in the ground? Death passes by in relation to all the sickness around?
756 Mourning a stranger.
401 White heat is what is needed to mold metal into a new creation.
19 Testing the waters between science and Christianity.
51 Dickinson admits that no one will know when she accepts a faith.
101 Who is Shaw?
110 Fascination with nature. Even peasants can appreciate it.
340 The body responds, listens, to the heavens. But Dickinson, cannot hear the heavens calling. All attempt at religion is on the surface bodily level.
344 Trying to watch her family grieve causes her more pain?
379 Understanding and envying the simplicity of a blade of grass.

Becoming a storm cloud...

"Mount Holyoke toughened Dickinson, who worked hard and did well and at one point became 'much interested' in chemistry and physiology."

"One of the questions to be decided was: how would the father Emily took with her, and the father in her mind, shape her adjustment to the close-knit female world she had entered?"

Emily struggled to stay away from the religious influences of the college. "... she had a painful conviction that she ought to 'give up and become a Christian.'"  Emily felt no interest in becoming a Christian.

"Dickinson was becoming a dark storm cloud, with a rising electric potential that would have to declare itself."  Dickinson is given so much power by this author.  Comparing her to a storm cloud is comparing her to a power that is uncontrollable, and also, a power of nature - not a power of humanity.  I think this is a significant comparison to note.  Dickinson herself seems closer to nature through her scientific studies.  Also, the description makes her seem harmful, damaging, destructive - normally poets are thought of as "creators" not "destroyers".

Dickinson seemed to show a general obedience to the law, "As it is, two things stand out in her response - her snapping resentment, and her determined acceptance of 'the law.'"

Many scholars attempt to find a connection between Dickinson and the Women's Rights Movement.  However, this author claims that Dickinson would have not been against the movement, "... was not disposed to see women as an oppressed class or to feel that they must organize themselves in order to free themselves."  However, Dickinson seemed to express little interest in anything which she was not directly affected by.  I find it hard to believe she would have ventured into the political world.  

"All can write autographs, but few paragraphs; for we are mostly no more than names." - B.F. Newton

Dickinson was lent Jane Eyre.  It may have influenced her greatly.

"The double punctuation at the end seems to catch her in the act, disguising her risky opinion as a question deferentially presented to a man almost ten years her senior."

"Nineteen-year-old Emily was in a state of eruption, throwing off the rules her elders had pounded into her."

Walt Whitman's America

"There is a strong nostalgic undercurrent in Whitman's writings, an impulse to revisit the period before his birth, when slavery and the economy were not yet problematic issues."
"Whitman's ancestry can be pointed to as a source not only of his poetic paeans to agrarian values and artisan labor but also of his interest in the American Revolution."
"It was mainly because of the Battle of Brooklyn that George Washington became one of Whitman' important models."
"On this level, Washington hugging his troops becomes for Whitman a kind of ideal private father (a poetic substitute, perhaps, for his own less-than-ideal father), who at the same time was a father of the nation."
"Locke's notion of tabula rasa became for the educators the rationale for an outlook that stressed the role of environment."
"Horace Mann, an educational leader Whitman greatly respected, had written of the effect of surroundings on the child: 'Their influences are integrated and made one with the soul. They enter into spiritual combination with it, never afterwards to be wholly decompounded.  They are like the daily food eaten by wild game, - so pungent and saporific in its nature, that it flavors every fibre of their flesh, and colors every bone in their body.'"
"The hill, the road, and the vista of his childhood give an autobiographical ring to his famous passage in 'Song of Myself'..."
"For now it is sufficient to note that, despite periods of antislavery activism, he always maintained a lurking sympathy for the South."
"The poet's older brother, Jesse, would lose his mind and die in an insane asylum.  His beloved sister, Hannah, became neurotic, possibly psychotic.  His brother Andrew became an alcoholic who died young and whose indigent wife became a streetwalker."
"Whitman spent twenty-eight years of his life residing in Brooklyn - more than in any other place - and absorbed all aspects of its daily life."
"He did not have to struggle, as did Hawthorne or Dickinson, with a personal heritage of repressive Calvinism, although his boyhood visits to different churches did give him some exposure to gloomy religions..."
"The character continues, 'I do, in my heart, believe that we shall live to see poetry done away with - the poetry of form, I mean - of rhyme, measure and cadence.'"
"At eleven, Whitman was forced, apparently by his family's financial necessity, to seek employment."
"'My theory is that the author might be the maker even of the body of his book - set the type, print the book on a press, put a cover on it, all with his own hands: learning his trade from A to Z - all there is of it.'"

My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: Chapters 5-9

"As for the impact of all this on the Dickinson children, it looks as if they were much better shielded from illness, cold weather, and physical labor than from their parents' protective anxieties."  I was shocked by how much the Dickinson children were sheltered for most of their life.  However, there seemed to be a double standard when it was concerned with Austin, Emily's brother, who was often allowed more advantages than his sisters.  A copy of The Frugal Housewife was marked with this line - "I would not that servile and laborious employment should be forced upon young."

Often the role of chores would fall on Emily's mother, which it is said that she gladly accepted.  I was confused by this as Emily's mother was frequently mentioned to have health concerns.  It seemed strange that they would sacrifice the health of the mother for the unencumbered life of the children.  Perhaps it is this idea, this attitude which spurred on Emily's anger towards her mother. 

"The inevitable inference is that she never much attached to her mother, that her mother failed her emotionally, and that the result was a profound deformation."

"The passage captures many aspects of the writer's girlhood: the interest in flowers (learned in part from Mother); the questing, pleasure-seeking spirit; the accidental nature of her transgression; her sense that her mother was always weary; and her perception that the reproof did not come from the heart."

Concerning her poem, They Shut Me up in Prose, "Dickinson's poems often lay claim to a kind of sovereignity traditionally identigied with deity itself.  What is striking about this one is that the consciousneess of power seems to originate within a cage." 

"Although it is impossible to quantify her school attendance, it appears she acquired much of her early learning at home, in the presence of a mother who spelled "feeling" with an "a." Does that help explain why Dickinson began "upon" with an "o" for most of her life, or why she and her sister and brother never learned, or bothered with, standard punctuation?"  I know Dickinson uses quite a strange set of punctuation in her novels; however, I don't think I would ever have attributed it to her lack of education.  Perhaps I read it wrong, but it seems that her grammar and punctuation were quite normal in her personal letters to friends and acquaintances.  The way this author seems to talk about her punctuation seems to put her down, blaming it on a lack of education.

In all honesty, this statement seemed to loose my respect for this author of this biography - but perhaps this is a different fault entirely.  Clearly, I place Dickinson on some sort of literary genius pedestal, even without studying all of her work.  Perhaps this is where the fault lies - in me, in our creation of the literary canon.  It has been taught to me through all my years of schooling that her precise use of language and punctuation where for specific purposes, but how much of her work was based on error in punctuation and capitalization.  It is tough for me to assume that she never made a mistake and that this is what has caused us to study her.  Perhaps some of what we contribute to her literary genius is in fact an error that, if she were alive today, would quickly be remedied... but I digress.

One of the most fascinating elements of the Dickinson biography was the mention of the children's magazine, Sabbath School Visitor.  I was shocked at the level of violence and grotesque images illustrated in it; it reminded me of the old Grimm's Fairy Tales.  I wonder why shocking children with these images was the chosen way to pass on information.  I am particularly fond of the story "The Lost Finger" where Elizabeth chops off her finger while doing something she shouldn't in a factory.  At first I found this a strange setting for a children's story, but then I thought it a good glimpse into the society of the time.  I am sure child labor was more prevalent back then and it would have been a good thing to teach. 

Back to Mrs. Dickinson, Emily's mother again.  What was wrong with her?  Is this one reason Emily's father was so over protective of his children?  The biographer notes that Catherine wrote a letter assuring that "...mother and children are 'quite well,' repeating and underlining at letter's end that Mrs. Dickinson was 'perfectly well.' The insinuatiing emphasis points to something the record fails to clarify. 

And now for something completely different!

Okay, not "completely" different, but different nonetheless.  Stay tuned for new commonplace blog entries focusing on Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson!

Also, check out these artistic renderings of the two authors...

Beneath her shirt, a book was eating her up.

This book meant so much to me, I cannot begin to explain the emotional attachment I have to it.  Without much explanation, here is a step-by-step collection of images culminating in my own expression of The Book Thief.  Enjoy...

In the event of snow, you must make sure you use a good shovel...

Death as the narrator of The Book Thief... This definitely adds a unique element to the novel.

"First the colors.  Then the humans."  My biggest question with Death comes back to this first line - the colors. Death's perception of colors is fascinating and makes him out to be a beautiful artist.  Any painter would tell you that a sky isn't blue - a sky is blue and yellow and orange and purple and red and bursting with life.  His visioning of all of the different colors is incredible and rivals the beauty of a famous painting.  Also, how could Death not be interested in Liesel when her first stolen book was about the proper way to treat the dead?

Liesel's story is sad and heartbreaking and a contradiction to popular belief.  Normally, Holocaust stories portray the pain and suffering of a Jewish person, but this story takes place on the other side of the spectrum.  However, at the beginning of the story I thought this had to be about a Jewish girl.  When Liesel was traveling on the train and her brother died, I automatically assumed that this must be a train to a concentration camp.

This personality contradiction seems to be a favorite of Zusak.  In Maus, the therapist claims, "Perhaps there shouldn't be any more Holocaust stories."  The therapist and Vladek seem to feel like the basic story has been told over and over; however, both Vladek and Zusak decide to take their stories to the next level.  They want their story to be different than any other Holocaust narrative.  Zusak's story is one of pain, but it is a universal pain, a bystander's pain.

You murdered me, mommy...

My personal life plays a large part in my connection to this graphic novel, Maus.  First, I love and respect the art of the comic (well done comics, that is).  Second, this is my first year teaching 8th grade Literature and one of my district's requirements is the coverage of Anne Frank.  I will never claim to be a history buff, far from it in fact.  This novel has been an eye opener and an excellent example of for me to learn from and pass on to my students.

That said, I was confused by the introduction of the novel which featured Valdek's history with Lucia Greenberg.  I began to think that this was the author merely trying to point out the humanity and normalcy of his father; however, through further reading I began to see another character trait emerge.  Vladek is resourceful and always seems to look out for himself - sometimes to the point of being selfish and one minded.  I think this was a character trait that Art choose to utilize and emphasize to remind the reader that his father was a human being throughout the entire experience of the Holocaust.  Despite being subjected to such brutality and the dehumanizing effect of the Nazis, Vladek retains his humanesque qualities throughout.

The appearance of "Prisoner on a Hell Planet" was definitely unexpected.  On a side note, I appreciated the stark contrast of artistic quality, but as for it's importance I am drawn two ways.  As previously explained, Vladek is truly a man after his own goals.  This experience of the death of his wife shows a true and utter breakdown which was unseen throughout the entire Holocaust experience.  How could a man who was so strong break down now after all this time?  On the other hand, I feel like this is the reader's first honest connection to the author. Up until now, it has seemed that the war has had little effect on Art's life, but this shows us a glimpse of something more.

The final word of the novel, "Murderer" is filled with strength and power.  During the escape into the "... Hell Planet" comic, Arti blames his mother for his death.  He claims that she is his murderer.  As his mother faded away into maniac depression and eventually her suicide, she drove her son to madness.  In his madness he links her depression and her obsession over him as an equivalent to the death of him.  This last word of the novel, rings back to the comic; however, it is not the mother who is claimed as committing the perfect crime - it is Vladek.  Vladek destroyed and lost the only element of Anja before the depression.  In doing so, Vladek has murdered the one image of 'mother' that Arti has always held dear.

A new face deserved a new name.

Analyzing American Born Chinese through the elements of the article 'motion' from an unknown book. 

Panel-to-Panel Motion

This form of motion is one of the earliest stages of comic movement.  The character changes abrubtly from one panel to the next.  Mentally, the reader assumes the motion in between.  Later on this can be classified also as static background motion. 

Sound Effect Motion

Sound effect motion is more unique in its execution.  In this sense, a sound effect like a camera 'click' or the 'tick tock' of a clock, can signify movement in itself. 

Motion Line
A common form of movement in newspaper comics is the use of a motion line.  In this form, the movement is traced or outlined through one or multiple lines. 

Multiple Image & Streaking Motion
In this form of motion the image that is in motion is repeated (normally framed or echoed with motion lines), alternatively, the multiple images may be streaked or slightly blurred as well. 

Blurred Background or Foreground Motion
This uses concepts from movies where the camera can only focus on one movement at a time.  For insance in a scene where a car is speeding down the street, two scenarios may happen.  First, the car may be blurred while the buildings are in focus.  Second, the car may be in focus while the buildings are blurred out. 

Static Background Motion
This is uses panel-to-panel motion, but seems to focus more on the background.  (In my opinion, panel-to-panel would have a plain background while static background has more detailed background elements.) 

Time / Duration Motion
Time / Duration motion uses an element of time like a clock, watch, or even the setting or rising sun and the reader can notice the time change from panel to panel. 

So what does the motion add to this piece of literature?  This novel is built around change and there is no clearer way to see change than through the pictures and the motion within them.  The novel deals with multiple levels of stereotyping, primarily that of Chinese or Chinese American children.  The idea that every child who is Chinese must love robots is played out as the young boy want to grow up to be a Transformer and for the fact that the robot that the Monkey King has is what first unites the two young boys.  Along with robots, another stereotype is that of a love of comic books - what better why to publish this story?

Sometimes I feel like I have walked into the middle of a movie...

A snippet of a story board for Monster.  I choose this particular scene because it deminishes the saying, "innocent till proven guilty".  In the beginning, Steve is grouped in with the criminals and given identical treatment as people who have killed, murdered, stolen, raped.  There is no boundary between those on trial and those who aren't.  How is he expected to believe in himself?