walt whitman & the class struggle - The Walt Whitman Archive

186 Pages·2005·1.3 MB·English

walt whitman the class struggle
&
the iowa whitman series
Ed Folsom, series editor
andrew lawson
Walt Whitman
the class struggle
&
University of Iowa Press iowa city
University of Iowa Press, Iowa City 52242
Copyright © 2006 by the University of Iowa Press
http://www.uiowa.edu/uiowapress
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lawson, Andrew, 1959 Jul.–
Walt Whitman and the class struggle/Andrew Lawson.
p. cm.—(The Iowa Whitman series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn0-87745-973-8 (cloth)
1. Whitman, Walt, 1819–1892—Political and social views.
2. Literature and society—United States—History—19th
century. 3. Social classes in literature. 4. Social conflict in
literature. I. Title. II. Iowa Whitman series.
ps3242.s58.l39 2006 2005053817
06 07 08 09 10 c 5 4 3 2 1
contents
Acknowledgments vii
Abbreviations ix
Introduction: The Whitman Myth xi
1 Sex, Class, and Commerce 1
2 The American 1848 29
3 The Class Struggle in Language 57
Postscript: Material Resistance 101
Notes 105
Bibliography 137
Index 153

acknowledgments
In its early stages the research for this book was supported by sabbatical
leave and a travel grant given by the School of Humanities and Social Sci-
ences at Sta∂ordshire University. My colleagues in English gave generous
practical support by taking up additional teaching and administration dur-
ing my absence. My thanks to Aidan Arrowsmith, Peter Heaney, Laura
Peters, and Shaun Richards.
Parts of the book have appeared previously. An earlier version of chapter
1 was published as “‘Spending for Vast Returns’: Sex, Class, and Commerce
in the First Leaves of Grass,” American Literature 75.2 (June 2003); parts of
chapters 2 and 3 appeared in preliminary form as “‘Song of Myself’ and the
Class Struggle in Language,” Textual Practice18.3 (Autumn 2004). I’m grate-
ful to the editors and readers of these journals, particularly to Frances Kerr
and Peter Nicholls. For their professional skill and patience in the process of
turning the manuscript into a book, my grateful thanks to Holly Carver,
Charlotte Wright, and Rebecca Marsh. For their advice and encouragement
of this and other projects over the years, I want to thank Thomas Augst,
Rosemarie K. Bank, Marshall Brown, Burton Hatlen, Brian Jarvis, Ron
Loewinsohn, Ian McQuire, and Barrett Watten.
It was Barry Taylor who first piqued my interest in Whitman by sharing
with me his delight in what he called, in his typically witty and pertinent
way, the “crunchy” texture of the verse. I’ve been lucky to have many simi-
larly fruitful conversations with him over the years. Susan Brook, Sandra
Courtman, and Peter Knight provided me with expert, detailed comments
on the chapters as they emerged and helped me not just to clarify my argu-
ments but to understand what I was attempting. I also benefited greatly
from the authority and range of Ed Folsom’s knowledge of Whitman schol-
arship. Richard Godden subjected the first chapter to a deeply informed and
searching critique, then calmly set the challenge I attempt to meet in the rest
of the book. My specific debts to him are recorded in the footnotes, but his
example and influence have been crucial and pervasive.
In writing about class I found I was also writing about family, and I’ve
been more than fortunate in my own. My parents supported me unfailingly
through an education that must have seemed interminable. My parents-in-
law, Anne Thompson and Bryan Thompson, o∂ered me warm encourage-
ment and showed a keen interest in the progress of the book. At the heart
of the matter always has been Deborah Thompson, who has kept me going
while reminding me of what’s really important. As does Michael: he is just
awesome.
viii : acknowledgments
abbreviations
AP
Walt Whitman, An American Primer:
With Facsimiles of the Original Manuscript.
Baker
Benjamin A. Baker, A Glance at New York.
Brooklyn Printer
Whitman, “Death of the Veteran Brooklyn Printer.”
CH
Whitman, Walt Whitman: The Critical Heritage.
EPF
Whitman, The Early Poems and the Fiction.
GF
Whitman, The Gathering of the Forces.
J1
Whitman, Collected Writings of Walt Whitman, The Journalism,
vol. 1, 1834–1846.
J2
Whitman, Collected Writings of Walt Whitman, The Journalism,
vol. 2, 1846–1848.
Leggett
William Leggett, A Collection of the Political Writings of William Leggett.
LG
Whitman, Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass: The First (1855) Edition.
NUPM
Whitman, Notebooks and Unpublished Prose Manuscripts.
NYD
Whitman, New York Dissected: A Sheaf of Recently Discovered Newspaper
Articles by the Author of “Leaves of Grass.”
PW
Whitman, Prose Works 1892.
RE
Whitman, Leaves of Grass: Reader’s Edition.
TW
Whitman, “Talbot Wilson” notebook.
UPP
Whitman, Uncollected Poetry and Prose of Walt Whitman.
WWW
Whitman, Walt Whitman’s Workshop.
x : abbreviations