What Is the Grass thor Mark Doty and Pulzer Prize wner Jericho Brown discs the gay poet's legacy.
Contents:
- WAS WALT WHMAN 'GAY'?
- WAS WALT WHMAN 'GAY'? NEW TEXTBOOK L SPARK LGBTQ HISTORY BATE
- HOW GAY WAS WALT WHMAN?
- WALT WHMAN, OUR GREAT GAY POET?
- BUT WERE THEY GAY? THE MYSTERY OF SAME-SEX LOVE THE 19TH CENTURY
WAS WALT WHMAN 'GAY'?
But for the award-wng gay poet Doty, textual analysis of the great Amerin bard required a personal analysis, which necsated this kd of spirual ntact. "Labels like gay, queer, or bisexual were nonexistent Whman's era.
Throughout Whman's wrgs there are nsistent referenc to his homosexualy.
Ined, Whman's poetry do appear to dite that Whman was a homosexual, and is evint om his notebooks, his letters, and the patterns of his personal relatnships as well.
WAS WALT WHMAN 'GAY'? NEW TEXTBOOK L SPARK LGBTQ HISTORY BATE
Author Max Eastman has argued that Walt Whman was clearly a homosexual, and that at certa moments of his life, he was even strongly love wh himself. He nounced Hollaway's attempt to "homosexualize" Whman. This was bee the reviewer had refed to discs Whman's homosexualy.
To a large extent, this exchange dited, and of self, that there was an issue nnected to Whman's homosexualy. Acrdg to Eastman, Whman's homosexualy was directly related to his greatt strength. " Hollaway, other words, knew that Whman was gay, but he saw as a failure and refed to raise the issue.
Th, what is illumatg is that this cricism of a cric brought out Whman's homosexualy to the open. Hollaway, for stance, refed to even accept the homosexualy of Whman that he refed to discs .
HOW GAY WAS WALT WHMAN?
" Eastman also affirmed that by ignorg Whman's homosexualy, he had refed "anythg havg the remott siu to the realy of Walt Whman. " In other words, for Eastman, Whman's homosexualy reprented Whman himself. Eastman charg Hollaway wh misregnizg the pot that Whman's homosexual inty was not a failure to nnect to "a happy home life, " but precisely a triumph over superficial nnectns that society imposed.
WALT WHMAN, OUR GREAT GAY POET?
The "solid state" that Hollaway lot "paterny, " Eastman lot a homosexual inty that is "self-sufficient, " "pennt, " and part of the life of "a great poetic life of real actn and ee natural experience.
Th, Eastman's champng of Whman's homosexualy is surely an ditn, to say the least, of Whman's sexual orientatn. Eastman was happy wh Whman's erotic rource, and he felt that "perpetual dulgence" was a ntament and nservatn of sire the homosexualy. Eastman regards the "hont word" of Whman's homosexualy as the source of Whman's pennce and power.
In other words, he was clearly referrg to his homosexualy, but a very subtle way. (Reynolds) The bgrapher also leans toward the view that the poet was more homoerotic than homosexual.
BUT WERE THEY GAY? THE MYSTERY OF SAME-SEX LOVE THE 19TH CENTURY
Author Michael Gold has also referred to Whman's homosexualy. 20) There is clear homosexual metaphor beg ma here. On this pot, would do well to add that there is a certa ntemporary rehabilatn of Whman, as well as other gay figur, unrtaken by current gay studi.