Walt Whitman: Apostle of Sex, Patriotism, and America

Walt Whitman: Apostle of Sex, Patriotism & America An exhaustive interactive guide to the poet who sang the body electric, the democratic soul, and the American experiment. Explore his life, the evolving Leaves of Grass , the radical celebration of sexuality, the deep patriotism forged in the Civil War, and the vision of a spiritual democracy. Overview Life Apostle of Sex Patriotism America & Democracy Major Works Leaves of Grass Legacy Overview Walt Whitman (1819–1892) stands as one of the most original and influential voices in American literature. He reinvented poetic form with free verse, proclaimed the sacredness of the body and of sexual desire, and cast himself as the bard of a democratic, inclusive America. Whitman called Leaves of Grass “avowedly the song of Sex and Amativeness, and even Animality.” At the same time he declared the United States themselves “essentially the greatest poem.” Sex, patriotism, and the American democratic ideal are inseparable strands in his visi…