Many long island recollections were written in specimen days and collect, a book of reminiscences by the poet published in 1882. Whitman spent the last years of his life in camden, new jersey. Specimen days presents the formation of a self through participation in communal and even ecological process. Walt whitman although whitman almost certainly only imagined lincoln acknowledging the poets occasional sightings of him on the streets of washington, it is clear from his recollections that he treasured such encounters and experienced a genuine thrill in lincolns presence. What position did he have on the long islander between 1838 and 1839. Walt whitman was born on long island and raised in brooklyn, new york, the son of a carpenter. Specimen days and collect, first published in 1882, is a choice collection of whitmans uniquely revealing impressions of the people, places, and events of his time, principally the era of the civil war and its aftermath. Specimen days is essentially the great american poet walt whitmans scrap book. It documents most of his lifes adventures, espeically his experience serving as a nurse during the civil war and travelling around america. He states that many union officers, in fact, wanted to let the south have its way. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. The whitman of specimen days joseph eugene mullin specimen days consists of fifteen pages of an offhand letter of autobiographical information, another seventyfive pages of diary jottings, warmemoranda of 1862. Complete prose works specimen days and collect, november boughs and goodbye my fancy author. It includes his poetry and what he considered his complete prose.
However, when whitman was just four years old the family relocated to the growing city of brooklyn. The online books page hasnt yet cataloged the following titles. But whitmans waters do not flow in the clear stream of a style that refuses to call attention to itselfthe bizarre ideal of. Walt whitman inspires specimen days pulitzer prizewinning author michael cunningham discusses his new book, the specimen days, which comes out today. For the most part, specimen days lacks the somewhat rambling style of democratic vistas. He kept a record his observations in specimen days. You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
In the last chapter of speciman days, whitman quotes the roman emperor and stoic philosopher marcus aurelius to the effect that virtue is only a living and enthusiastic sympathy with nature. This is less a novel than a linked trio of moving, bizarrely lyrical novellas meditating on descartess argument for the essential. For four years, from 1862 to 1865, walt whitman visited thousands of wounded civil war soldiers in hospitals. Project gutenberg titles by walt whitman whitman, walt, 1819. The artist is not dependent on the multitude of his listeners. Librivox recording of specimen days by, walt whitman specimen days is essentially the great american poet walt whitman s scrap book. Specimen days and collect, first published in 1882, is a choice collection of whitman s uniquely revealing impressions of the people, places, and events of his time, principally the era of the civil war and its aftermath. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg.
Whitman is considered to be one of the united states greatest poets. It documents most of his lifes adventures, especially his experience serving as a nurse during the civil war and travelling around america. Specimen days, new themes entered upon intensely artful, intensely vernacularsome draughts of the tipsymaking water emerson talks about in the essay by which young whitman was called the poet. Walt whitman quotes quotes of walt whitman poem hunter. Each of the three stories depicts three central, semiconsistent charactertypes. This library of america edition is the most comprehensive volume of the work of walt whitman ever published. Walt whitman 18191892, perhaps the most influential poet in american history, was born on long island but raised in brooklyn, new york. Specimen days and collect, november boughs and goodbye my fancy. Composed in 1881 largely out of notes, sketches, and essays written at various stages of the poets life from the. Sepia photograph of whitman and butterfly, printed on recto inserted after p. Garland publishing, 1998, reproduced by permission.
The years which whitman spent in washington during the war constitute the best part of specimen days. Walter walt whitman 1819 1892 was an american poet, essayist and journalist. Leaves of grass by walt whitman, the electronic classics series, jim manis, editor, psuhazleton, hazleton, pa 18202 is a portable document file produced as part of an ongoing publication project to bring classical works of literature, in english, to free and easy access of those wishing to make use of them. Walt whitman was born on may 31, 1819, in west hills, on long island, new york.
All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Specimen days, michael cunninghams first novel since his pulitzer prizewinning the hours 1998, presents a bleak portrait of life in the past, present, and future. He left school when he was 11 years old to take a variety of jobs. Discount prices on books by walt whitman, including titles like leaves of grass leatherbound classics. The ecopoetics of walt whitmans specimen days by ethan. Nov 25, 2014 specimen days and collect, first published in 1882, is a choice collection of whitmans uniquely revealing impressions of the people, places, and events of his time, principally the era of the civil war and its aftermath. Walt whitman whitman, walt, 18191892 the online books. Walt whitman specimen days is essentially the great american poet walt whitmans scrap book. Prose works walt whitman the good gray poet also contributed to the greatest prose of american letters with his war diaries, prefaces and democratic vistas in this complete prose works, the companion volume to s leaves of grass. Jun 07, 2005 walt whitman inspires specimen days pulitzer prizewinning author michael cunningham discusses his new book, the specimen days, which comes out today.
Born near long island, he lived in new york for a time, and many of his poems celebrate the city and its inhabitants. Walt whitman whitman, walt, 18191892 complete prose works. So general grant, after circumambiating the world, has arrived home againlanded in san francisco yesterday, from the ship city of tokio from japan. By the time he was 15, whitman was living on his own in new york city, working as a printer and writing short pieces for newspapers. Whitman begins by describing the uncomfortable realization on the part of northerners that the war would not be over in a few days. A study, east coast naturalist john burroughs presented his friend walt whitman as the poet of democracy, primal man, visionary of the open air, barbarian in the parlor, force of nature, prophet. The poet of democracy walt whitman, the poet of democracy, was born on may 31, 1819, at west. Bound in original mustard yellow cloth with lettering in gilt on upper cover and spine. Walt whitmans last specimen days a happy hours command down in the woods, july 2d, 1882. It is a book called complete prose works by walt whitman. Buy specimen days by whitman, walt from amazons fiction books store. Walt whitman is one of the most innovative and influential american poets of the nineteenth century. Specimen days is a series of diary entries about whitman s life, from his boyhood days at rockaway beach, to his nursing days in washington d.
He characterized the dead as the million dead, and celebrated them in his poems. C during the civil war, and finally to his time in camden new jersey. This motto adorned the front of poetry magazine and was the object of the vitriolic disapproval of ezra pound, who, in 1914, wrote in the pages of the magazine. By the age of eleven he had finished his formal education and started work as a labourer. Nov 04, 2017 walt whitmans speciman days november 4, 2017 november 4, 2017 kenneth posner speciman days, walt whitman in whitman. For more information contact the walt whitman birthplace association 246 old walt whitman road, west hills, ny. Specimen days is essentially the great american poet walt whitman s scrap book. In the 1820s and 1830s, the family, which consisted of nine children, lived in long island and brooklyn, where whitman attended the.
Complete prose works specimen days and collect, november boughs and goodbye my. Read texts from specimen days and join the genius community of scholars to learn the meaning behind the words. Walt whitman 18191892 was born on may 31, 1819, to a large, workingclass family in long island. I have a very worn audiocassette condensed audiobook read by jeff riggenbach its very good.
Nov 23, 2012 open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. These things do in some ways make up what we are, but there is something. Incongruous and full of skips and jumps as is that huddle of diaryjottings, warmemoranda of 186265, naturenotes of 187781, with western and canadian observations afterwards, all bundled up and. Focusing on his masterpiece leaves of grass, this book provides a foundation for the study of whitman as an experimental poet, a radical democrat, and a historical personality in the era of the american civil war, the growth of the great cities, and the westward expansion of the united states. Specimen days is a 2005 novel by american writer michael cunningham. Specimen days this essay is an investigation of walt whitmans ecopoetics as they are expressed in specimen days, his prose work of 1882. He was the second son of walter whitman, a housebuilder, and louisa van velsor. Specimen days is a genrebending, haunting, and transformative ode to life in our greatest city and a meditation on the direction and meaning of americas destiny.
Project gutenberg titles by walt whitman whitman, walt. The portable walt whitman penguin classics walt whitman when walt whitman selfpublished leaves of grass in 1855 it was a slim volume of twelve poems and he was a journalist and poet from long island, littleknown but full of ambition and poetic fire. The talkers and discussers now become the trippers and askers, those wellmeaning people who occupy our days with talk of all the things that we often trick ourselves into believing actually form usour childhood, our local environs, our dress, the latest news of wars, sickness, the stock market. It is also the only collection that includes, in exactly the form in which it appeared in 1855, the first edition of leaves of grass. But whitmans waters do not flow in the clear stream of a style that refuses to. Its the poets job, whitman concludes, to bring people back from their persistent strayings and sickly. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Walt whitman specimen days lyrics and tracklist genius. It is a work of surpassing power and beauty by one of the most original and daring writers at work today.
785 28 368 1368 278 1455 1033 1008 12 550 1192 552 716 355 1592 387 560 1049 545 56 1317 360 654 420 1620 1395 718 1426 90 367 1141 1102 1011 1455 511 709 1204 809 216