A Nineteenth-Century Modernist: Walt Whitman’s Influence on American Modernist Poetry
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Authors
Patterson, Zoe
Issue Date
2019-01-01
Type
research_paper
Language
Keywords
Poetry
Alternative Title
Selected Undergraduate Works
Abstract
In “Democratic Vistas”, Walt Whitman calls for an American literary revolution. He asserts that American poetry should reach towards the future; that American poetry should strive to create a society of strong, active readers through intellectual complexity; and that American poetry should break from European literary traditions. Whitman’s poetry carries out this revolution only partially; his poetry extends towards the modern, yet still somewhat clings to European traditions. This paper posits Whitman as a precursor of literary modernism, examines his influence on American modernist poetry, and explores the ways in which four American modernist poets fulfil his call for revolution.