Combining intellectual history with literary analysis, this study of Whitman's language experiment from 1855 to 1892 offers a refreshing new look at his theory of language especially the English language in America--as an expression of a "national spirit" and relates that theory to the language and style of Whitman's major poems and essays. Whitman viewed American English as the most expressive, poetic language that ever existed, and he used his studies of historical linguistics to corroborate that view. Part 1 explicates ...
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Combining intellectual history with literary analysis, this study of Whitman's language experiment from 1855 to 1892 offers a refreshing new look at his theory of language especially the English language in America--as an expression of a "national spirit" and relates that theory to the language and style of Whitman's major poems and essays. Whitman viewed American English as the most expressive, poetic language that ever existed, and he used his studies of historical linguistics to corroborate that view. Part 1 explicates the theory of language that Whitman developed in his linguistic notebooks, unpublished manuscripts, fugitive essays, and two chapters of the popular book R ambles Among Words . The diction and syntax of the 1855-1856 editions of Leaves of Grass are analyzed to show how Whitman's overwhelming interest in language theories resulted in the "language experiment" of the poems. Part 2 examines the ways in which Whitman's view of language as an expression of the constantly evolving spirit of America subtly shifted to a more cumulative, backward-looking vision of linguistic and spiritual change. Analysis of the diction, syntax, and organization of the last four editions of Leaves of Grass reveals how this shift in vision affected the style of Whitman's poetry and prose from 1860 to 1892. Whitman's groundbreaking poetic style, the author concludes, was a direct consequence of his view of language and the human spirit as dynamic, progressivist, and actively changing within a temporal world. Conversely, Whitman's experiments in both prose and poetry helped confirm his view of linguistic and spiritual evolution.
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Add this copy of Walt Whitman's Language Experiment to cart. $5.00, good condition, Sold by The Enigmatic Reader rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Los Angeles, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Penn State University Press.
Add this copy of Walt Whitman's Language Experiment to cart. $8.98, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Penn State University Press.
Add this copy of Walt Whitman's Language Experiment to cart. $24.00, like new condition, Sold by Great Expectations Rare Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Staten Island, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Pennsylvania State University Press.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in Very Good+ jacket. Book. 8vo-over 7æ-9æ" tall. Hardcover, grayish cloth lettered in gold on spine, in publisher's beige dust-jacket. 217 pages. Index. First edition. An examination of Whitman's theory of language and the use of those ideas to express a sense of "national spirit" through his poetry. No previous ownership marks. A clean, tight and unmarked copy. Fine in a near fine dust-jacket.
Add this copy of Walt Whitman's Language Experiment to cart. $25.00, very good condition, Sold by Grendel Books, ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Springfield, MA, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Pennsylvania State University Press,.
Add this copy of Walt Whitman's Language Experiment to cart. $28.00, very good condition, Sold by Friends of RRLS rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lexington, VA, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Penn State University Press.
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Seller's Description:
Very good in good dust jacket. Dust jacket discolored from sunlight. Pictures upon request. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 230 p. Audience: General/trade.
Add this copy of Walt Whitman's Language Experiment to cart. $37.99, new condition, Sold by Media Smart rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hawthorne, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Pennsylvania State University Press.
Add this copy of Walt Whitman's Language Experiment to cart. $50.81, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Penn State University Press.
Add this copy of Walt Whitman's Language Experiment to cart. $82.44, very good condition, Sold by RARE BOOK CELLAR rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pomona, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Pennsylvania State University Press.
Add this copy of Walt Whitman's Language Experiment to cart. $122.09, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Penn State University Press.
