Michael Robertson (2)

Walt Whitman’s celebrated 1855 poem Song of Myself was an astonishing new poetic venture in its language and style as well as in the values and spirituality it expressed. The poet, Whitman believed, was to be the high priest of a new, democratic religion. Whitman was inspired by the progressive religious ideals surging through Quakerism and other spiritual movements. Quaker scholar Michael Robertson writes, “This lengthy, brilliant, and endlessly suggestive poem is Whitman’s masterpiece, the single greatest poem in American literature, and the starting point for anyone interested in Whitman’s religious ideas.” With particular attention to the perspectives of Friends, Robertson walks the reader through Song of Myself, noting its beauties, its challenges, and its deep inspiration. (Pendle Hill website).… (más)

Walt Whitman’s celebrated 1855 poem Song of Myself was an astonishing new poetic venture in its language and style as well as in the values and spirituality it expressed. The poet, Whitman believed, was to be the high priest of a new, democratic religion. Whitman was inspired by the progressive religious ideals surging through Quakerism and other spiritual movements. Quaker scholar Michael Robertson writes, “This lengthy, brilliant, and endlessly suggestive poem is Whitman’s masterpiece, the single greatest poem in American literature, and the starting point for anyone interested in Whitman’s religious ideas.” With particular attention to the perspectives of Friends, Robertson walks the reader through Song of Myself, noting its beauties, its challenges, and its deep inspiration.… (más)

Walt Whitman's celebrated 1855 poem "Song of Myself" was an astonishing new poetic venture in its language and style as well as in the values and spirituality it expressed. The poet, Whitman believed, was to be the high priest of a new, democratic religion. Whitman was inspired by the progressive religious ideals surging through Quakerism and other spiritual movements. The author writes, "This lengthy, brilliant, and endlessly suggestive poem is Whitman's masterpiece, the single greatest poem in American literature, and the starting point for anyone interested in Whitman's religious ideas."… (más)

Robertson writes this wonderful pamphlet on Whitman as primarily a religious poet of progressive 19th century religious ideas, and of the 1855 Song of Myself, the "single greatest poem in American literature," as a valuable spiritual resource for 21st century spiritual seekers. It is a "religious classic that transcends sectarian creeds and offers a democratic inclusive spirituality." Whitman's poetry was radically innovative in both form and content. Robertson, a Whitman scholar, analyzes the poem as Whitman's spiritual epic, exploring the beauty and immortality of the here and now. The pamphlet is a valuable and wonderful guide to reading the poem.
Robertson also mentions Whitman's various connections to Quakerism.… (más)