You are here

source of bird imagery in the poetry of Walt Whitman

Download pdf | Full Screen View

Date Issued:
1990
Summary:
Walt Whitman relied heavily upon an ornithological reference book for most of the bird imagery in Leaves of Grass. Despite claims that Whitman was closely in tune with nature, he obviously made use of The Birds of Long Island by J. P. Giraud, published in 1844, in numerous passages over a period of about 20 years. Courtland Y. White first noticed Whitman's dependence upon this text in 1944. This study goes beyond White's findings, surveys the importance of accuracy in Whitman's details about birds, and examines the poet's relationship with the naturalist John Burroughs, whose influence is seen in at least one major poem.
Title: The source of bird imagery in the poetry of Walt Whitman.
448 views
95 downloads
Name(s): Springer, Nancy Patterson.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Coyle, William, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1990
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 63 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Walt Whitman relied heavily upon an ornithological reference book for most of the bird imagery in Leaves of Grass. Despite claims that Whitman was closely in tune with nature, he obviously made use of The Birds of Long Island by J. P. Giraud, published in 1844, in numerous passages over a period of about 20 years. Courtland Y. White first noticed Whitman's dependence upon this text in 1944. This study goes beyond White's findings, surveys the importance of accuracy in Whitman's details about birds, and examines the poet's relationship with the naturalist John Burroughs, whose influence is seen in at least one major poem.
Identifier: 14600 (digitool), FADT14600 (IID), fau:11397 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1990.
Subject(s): Whitman, Walt,--1819-1892--Sources
Birds in literature
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14600
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.