A Historical Guide to Walt Whitman ed. by David S. Reynolds (review)

enough attention to the kinds of details that students and teachers of literature might appreciate, ¿fc David S. Reynolds, ed. A Historical Guide to Walt Whitman. NewYork: Oxford University Press, 2000. 263p. Catherine Kunce University of Colorado, Boui.der Because A Historical Guide to Walt Whitman anchors one of America's most enduring and beloved poets to his time, some literary scholars and students might balk at this collection ofessays, part ofOxford University Press' Historical Guides to American Authors series. But to ignore this work would be unfortunate, since the disparate essays edited by David S. Reynolds carry Whitman discourse beyond the commonplace and into the extraordinary. Although Whitman's homosexuality has long been analyzed, for example, M. Jimmie Killingsworth takes the subject further when he asserts that Whitman actually "helped to invent gayness" (122). And although scholars regularly claim, as Jerome Loving informs us, that "Emerson, the Italian opera, and the NewTestament" influenced Whitman's shift from journalism to poetry. Loving additionally and convincingly argues that, as unlikely as it might seem, the Compromise of 1850 not only provided Whitman with a unique topic for his poetry, but also gave him "his free-verse rhythm, which echoed ... the fiery speeches ofthat particular period" (102). And while we all agree that Whitman epitomizes the radically democratic poet, Kenneth Cmiel dissects Whitman's democratic notions and concludes that Whitman is "a bit less radical than often portrayed" (206). A peculiar virtue ofthe Guide lies in the fact that by focusing Whitman through a historical lens, through this seeming constriction , we actually can view panoramically a number significant contemporary issues such as race, gay ethos, class, and politics. Reynolds demonstrates his editorial competence in whom and in what he includes in the Guide. His judicious selection of contributing scholars, all significant in their respective fields, practically guarantees the circumspect assessments found in the volume. A biographical sketch ofeach contributor proves useful, as does Reynolds inclusion ofa "BriefBiography" ofWhitman's life. An "Illustrated Chronology" not only contains pictures ofWhitman and his associates, but also includes illustrations relating specifically to essay topics. In "Lucifer and Ethiopia : Whitman, Race and Poetics before the Civil War," for example, Ed Folsom speculates that Whitman modeled the emancipated slave in "Ethiopia Saluting the Colors" on Elihu Vedder's paintingJaneJackson; an illustration of the paint10 « + ROCKV MOUNTAIN REVIEW * FALL 2001 Reviews ing appears in the "Chronology." Roberta K. Tarbell's "Whitman and the Visual Arts" points to a kind ofnineteenth-century respect for Feng Shui principles, for people ofthe era believed that appropriate public sculptures and buildings could enhance morality and well-being. Reynolds therefore includes a photo of LaGrange Terrace as representative of the classical-revival architecture prevalent duringWhitman's earlier years. But ofcourse Reynolds includesTarbell's essay on Whitman and the visual arts not simply because it furnishes the Guide with illustrations . Reynolds appreciatesTarbell's provocative and well-reasoned arguments, including the remarkable conjecture that LeavesofGrassamounts to awritten rendering ofJean-François Millet's paintings. The essayists cannot in every line postulate such astonishing notions, but in this they show good judgment, for making splashy claims at the expense of careful scholarship naturally would devalue the work. Ed Folsom demonstrates such carefulness when he acknowledges the poet's support of emancipation but also unflinchingly examines Whitman's racism . Reynolds exacts vigorous analysis of his contributors and insists that they further Reynolds' own mission of grounding literary figures to their times. But beyond this, the editor leaves each essayist's expertise to direct the investigation. This yields an unexpected bonus: the scholars' notes provide a compendium of research on each topic. Following "Whitman and the Gay American Ethos," for example, Killingsworth cogently summarizes the debate concerning Whitman's homosexuality. For those unfamiliar with recent research on the subject, Killingsworth's notes reference essential works. While some might fault the Guide in its failure to connect Whitman's poems with other "literary" (poetic and fictive) works of the time, this objection lacks strength. David Reynolds' monumental Beneath the American Renaissance: The Subversive Imagination in theAge ofEmerson andMelville already has established the influence ofWhitman's literary contemporaries. The interdisciplinary Guide, on the other hand, invites literary scholars to launch fresh...