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Introducing Whitman and Dickinson: Proto-Modernism

• Thus far, we have focused our attention on the idea that modernism is engaged with
and an expression of a perceived crisis and loss of stability pervading the Victorian
Period.
• This is certainly very true, but it is only part of the story when thinking about how we
might define and understand modernism.
• As mentioned at the end of 1.3 (‘A Cultural Tour of Modernism’), this first week will
conclude with a discussion of two highly influential proto-modernists: Walt Whitman
and Emily Dickinson.
• Thinking about these two writers provides two quite different ways to understand the
literary lineages of modernism.
• In addition to thinking about the loss of stability and perceived crisis, an exploration
of Whitman and Dickinson will allow us to forge a highly developed understanding
of the social and cultural climate out of which modernism grew.
• The below represents some initial thoughts about these two, which will help to co-
ordinate and frame your understanding of the subsequent discussions.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

• Whitman is arguably one of the most important and influential American poets of the
nineteenth century, with his most famous poem being ‘Song of Myself’, which will be
our focus.
• Formally Whitman’s poetry is highly experimental and innovative, which would help
to pave the way for subsequent modernist experimentation, especially in using free
verse.
• Perhaps more importantly though, Whitman is emphatically concerned with and
engaged in the world around him.
• He is, in its broadest sense, a political poet, which means he isn’t necessarily talking
about specific political events, but rather the very nature of democracy and how
people ought to interact with other people.
• He is also an egalitarian poet and explores the relationship between the reader and
the poet, with Whitman seeing himself almost as a teacher
• Given the perceived notion of social crisis with which modernism engages, we can
begin to see how Whitman’s commitment to using poetry to explore society and the
political landscape becomes very influential.

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

• Just as influential as Whitman, although not in her own life, Dickinson’s poetry is very
different to that of Whitman.
• Whereas Whitman focuses on the public and the political, Dickinson is resolutely
interested in the internal: the mind, the soul and our very being.
• For many modernists, this focus on the internal and our perception of the world
around us would become very important.
• Dickinson’s work is also purposely and self-consciously complex and difficult, perhaps,
in some sense, even elitist. This would characterise a lot of modernist poetry and sits
in opposition to Whitman’s democratic and inclusive poetry.

Both Whitman and Dickinson provide a way to think about modernism. Their very
different poetry represents two influential, but different modernist tendencies. As we
continue to discuss modernism, keep in mind the notion of crisis and erosion of stability
already discussed, but also the influences of Whitman and Dickinson.

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