PREFACE. THIS little book is written as an exposition rather than as a criticism of the works of Walt Whitman. Nevertheless, some critical considerations have been introduced. The first section must not be taken as in any sense a biography of Whitman, but merely as an attempt to pourtray his personality, and to set forth the varied influences which moulded his life. For biography, the reader is referred to the work of Dr. Bucke, and to the Specimen Days and Collects, either as published in 1883 by Wilson & M'Cormick of Glasgow, or in the Camelot series. The edition of Leaves of Grass, quoted from in the text, is the "Author's Copyright Edition" of 1881. The little poem at the end, "Death's Valley," was written by Whitman to accompany a reproduction of the painting by Mr. George Inness, "The Valley of the Shadow of Death." The five sections into which this work is divided have reference respectively to Whitman's personality, his relations to and message for America, his art, his belief about the nature of democracy, and his ultimate spiritual creed. |