Killingsworth M.J. The Cambridge Introduction to Walt Whitman

New York, Cambridge University Press, 2007. — 149 p.Walt Whitman is one of the most innovative and influential American poets of the nineteenth century. Focusing on his masterpiece Leaves of Grass, this book provides a foundation for the study ofWhitman as an experimental poet, a radical democrat, and a historical personality in the era of the American CivilWar, the growth of the great cities, and the westward expansion of the United States. Always a controversial and important figure,Whitman continues to attract the admiration of poets, artists, critics, political activists, and readers around the world. Those studying his work for the first time will find this an invaluable book. Alongside close readings of the major texts, chapters onWhitman’s biography, the history and culture of his time, and the critical reception of his work provide a comprehensive understanding ofWhitman and of how he has become such a central figure in the American literary canon.M. Jimmie Killingsworth is Professor of English at Texas A&M University. He has published widely onWhitman and on nineteenthcentury American literature.