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From the Field: Walt Whitman's Periodical Poetry

Belasco, Susan. "From the Field: Walt Whitman's Periodical Poetry." American Periodicals. 14.2 (2004): 247-59.
Type: 
journal
Genre: 
literary criticism
Abstract: 

Belasco traces Whitman's publication history in several prominent nineteenth-century periodicals and how these publications helped to promote Leaves of Grass. Belasco's article includes a lengthy section about publications in The Saturday Press. In her sixteenth footnote she includes the following list of poems published in The Saturday Press, with their later book publications noted as well:

"A Child's Reminiscence," The New-York Saturday Press, 24 December 1859,1.
"A Word Out of the Sea," Leaves of Grass (1860)
"Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking," "Sea-Shore Memories" in Passage to India (1871) and in "Sea Drift," Leaves of Grass (1881)

"You and Me and To-Day," The New-York Saturday Press, 14 January 1860, 2.
"Chants Democratic 7," Leaves of Grass (1860)
"With Antecedents," Leaves of Grass (1867)

"Poemet," 28 January 1860, 2.
"Calamus No. 17," Leaves of Grass (1860)
"Of Him I Love Day and Night," Leaves of Grass (1867); slight changes in text in
"Passage to India," Leaves of Grass (1871)

"Poemet," 4 February 1860, 2.
"Calamus No. 40," Leaves of Grass (1860)
"That Shadow My Likeness," Leaves of Grass (1867); slight changes in text in
Leaves of Grass (1881)
"Leaves, 1, 2, 3," February 11, 1860, 2.

"Calamus No. 21," Leaves of Grass (1860)
"That Music Always Round Me," Leaves of Grass (1867); in "Whispers of
Heavenly Death," Leaves of Grass (1860)
"Calamus No. 37," Leaves of Grass (1860)
"A Leaf for Hand in Hand," Leaves of Grass (1867)
"Enfans d'Adam No. 15," Leaves of Grass (1860)
"As Adam Early in the Morning," Leaves of Grass (1867)

People Mentioned in this Work

Aldrich, Thomas [pages:252]

Belasco mentions that his poetry was printed in Clapp's columns of "original" poems, which usually appeared on the first page of the Saturday Press (252).

Clapp, Henry [pages:251,252-253]

Belasco describes him as "Whitman's loyal friend, fellow Bohemian, and fiesty editor of the Saturday Press." Clapp is mentioned as believing, along with Whitman, "that any publicity [for Leaves of Grass] was good publicity" (251).

For the publication of "A Child's Reminiscence" on December 24, 1859, on the first page of the Saturday Press, Clapp included this notice at the beginning of his editorial column" "Our readers may, if they choose, consider as our Christmas or New Year's present to them, the curious warble, by Walt Whitman, of 'A Child's Reminiscence,' on our First Page. Like the 'Leaves of Grass,' the purport of this wild and plaintive song, well-enveloped, and eluding definition, is positive and unquestionable, like the effect of music.

The piece will bear reading many times--perhaps, indeed, only comes forth, as from recesses, by many repititions" (252).

Belasco notes that Clapp was "eager to attract attention and readers to his newspaper" and "not only published Whitman's poems but also printed parodies of Whitman's poems, as well as promotional advertisements for the 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass. Throughout the early months of 1860, Clapp was reguarly publishing Whitman" (252). "You and Me and To-Day" was printed in the January 14,1860, edition of the paper as one of Clapp's "original" poems, a feature which ran in nearly every edition of the Saturday Press, usually on the first page (252). Clapp published "Of Him I Love Day and Night" on January 28,1860, as "Poemet" with a notation "For the Saturday Press" at the upper left-hand corner of page 2. Clapp would publish a second "Poemet" ("That Shadow My Likenes," a Calamus poem) and "Leaves" ("whose three numbered verses became three distinct poems, two in the Calamus cluster and one in the Enfans d'Adam cluster in the 1860 Leaves of Grass) in this spot (252-253).

Howells, William [pages:252,253]

Belasco mentions that his poetry was printed in Clapp's columns of "original" poems, which usually appeared on the first page of the Saturday Press (252).

Belasco mentions that Howells "published frequently in Clapp's Saturday Press" and reviewed '"Bardic Symbols" for the Daily Ohio State Journal (253).

O'Brien, Fitz-James [pages:252]

Belasco mentions that his poetry was printed in Clapp's columns of "original" poems, which usually appeared on the first page of the Saturday Press (252).

The Saturday Press [pages:249,251,252-253]

Belasco notes that Whitman argued for his theme of "Home Literature" in an unsigned article that appeared in the New York Saturday Press in 1860. "Whitman urged Americans to compose 'Our own song, free, joyous, masterful." Whitman also argued that his readers should pay attention to American writers: "You, bold American! And ye future two hundred millions bold Americans, can surely never live, for instances, entirely satisfied and grow to your full stature, on what the importations hither of foreign bards, dead or alive, provide--nor on what is echoing here the letter and spirit of the foreign bards" (249).

Between December 1850 and June 1860, the New York Saturday Press published "A Child's Reminiscence" (later "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking") and "You and Me and To-day" as part of Whitman's promotional efforts for the third edition of Leaves of Grass (May 1860). Belasco notes that Jerome Loving observed that "the Press published a total of seven poems that would be a part of the 1860 edition, including some of the Calamus poems." Belasco notes that the publication in the Press and other venues like the Atlantic Monthly were "something of a coup for Whitman--both were powerful literary magazines that published new American writers" (251).

In response to the first-page printing of "A Child's Reminiscence" in the December 24, 1859, edition of the Saturday Press, the poem was attacked in the Cincinnati Daily Commercial. The Saturday Press reprinted the attack and Whitman's anonymous response "All about a Mockingbird," which defended his poetry and promoted the third edition of Leaves of Grass (252).

Belasco claims that "'A Child's Reminiscence' and the other poems published in the Saturday Press offer a fascinating lesson in Whitman's--and Clapp's--efforts to promote Whitman's name and book" (253).

Stedman, Edmund [pages:255]

Stedman's poetry in Poems:Lyric and Idyllic was also reviewed in the New York Times in the column "New Publications: The New Poets" written by either William or John Swinton in which the third edition of Leaves of Grass was reviewed poorly. Stedman's work was given notably less discussion but was also found "lacking" (255).

Swinton, John [pages:255]

Belasco speculates that either William or his brother, John Swinton (the new editor of the New York Times), may have written a negative review of Whitman that was printed in the New York Times on May 19, 1860. The review "castigated Whitman for his style and substance. Describing Whitman's earlier editions of Leaves of Grass as 'neither poetry nor prose, but a curious medley, a mixture of quaint utterances and gross indecencies, a remarkable compound of fine thoughts and sentiment of the pot-house,' the reviewer called the 1860 edition even 'more reckless and vulgar.'" Belasco corrects the assumption that the review was written as solely a review of Leaves of Grass, but was actually part of an article titled "New Publications: The New Poets." Both Swinton brothers were old friends of Whitman (255).

Swinton, William [pages:255]

Belasco speculates that either William or his brother, John Swinton (the new editor of the New York Times), may have written a negative review of Whitman that was printed in the New York Times on May 19, 1860. The review "castigated Whitman for his style and substance. Describing Whitman's earlier editions of Leaves of Grass as 'neither poetry nor prose, but a curious medley, a mixture of quaint utterances and gross indecencies, a remarkable compound of fine thoughts and sentiment of the pot-house,' the reviewer called the 1860 edition even 'more reckless and vulgar.'" Belasco corrects the assumption that the review was written as solely a review of Leaves of Grass, but was actually part of an article titled "New Publications: The New Poets." Both Swinton brothers were old friends of Whitman (255).

Whitman, Walt [pages:247-259]

Belasco discusses Whitman's relationship to nineteenth-century periodicals; between 1838 and 1892 he published about 150 first printings of his poems in about 45 periodicals (247).

Belasco argues that Whitman continued the theme of creating a "Home Literature" that he called for in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (July 11,1846) in an unsigned article that appeared in the New York Saturday Press in 1860. Belasco uses Whitman's quote from this article that states that Americans should "compose 'Our own song, free, joyous, and masterful,' exhorting his countrymen to discover American writers: 'You, bold American! And ye future two hundred millions of bold Americans, can surely never live, for instance, entirely satisfied and grow to full stature, on what the importations hither of foreign bards, dead or alive, provide--nor on what is echoing here the letter and spirit of the foreign bards'" (248-9).

Between December 1859 and June 1860, Whitman published nine new poems in periodicals. These publications were part of Whitman's effort to promote the third edition of Leaves of Grass, published May, 1860. In the New York Saturday Press, Whitman published "A Child's Reminiscence ("Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking") and "You and Me and To-day." Belasco cites Jerome Loving's observation that "the Press published a total of seven poems that would be a part of the 1860 edition, including some of the Calamus poems." Belasco continues, "Few of these have been noted in bibliographies or studied in their original context. Whitman also published another poem from the 1860 edition, 'Bardic Symbols' (later 'As I Ebb'd with the Ocean of Life'), in the Atlantic Monthly. Finally, just after the 1860 edition appeared, he published 'The Errand-Bearers,' in the New York Times; he eventually revised the poem for inclusion in Drum Taps (1865). Publishing in these venues, especially the Saturday Press and the Atlantic Monthly, was something of a coup for Whitman--both were powerful literary magazines that published new American writers" (251).

Belasco notes that both Clapp and Whitman felt that "any publicity was good publicity" for Leaves of Grass (251).

"A Child's Reminiscence" (later "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking") was published December 24, 1859, on the first page of the Saturday Press (252).
In response to the first-page printing of "A Child's Reminiscence" in the December 24, 1859, edition of the Saturday Press, the poem was attacked in the Cincinnati Daily Commercial. The Saturday Press reprinted the attack and Whitman's anonymous response "All about a Mockingbird," which defended his poetry and promoted the third edition of Leaves of Grass. "We are able to declare that there will also soon crop out of the true Leaves of Grass, the fuller-grown work of which the former two issues were the inchoates--this forthcoming one, far, very far ahead of them in quality, quantity, and in supple lyric exuberance" (252).