While reading the preface to “Leaves of Grass” I found myself repeatedly underlining sentences that were just pleasurable to read. Already, I think I may be beginning to understand why Whitman has had such a lasting legacy. The way he weaves together words is absolutely enjoyable. Throughout the preface to “Leaves of Grass” Whitman spends majority of his time focusing on “the poet” especially in relation to America and its inhabitants. These passages are brilliantly worded and almost made me want to become a poet myself, expect I’m not sure I could handle the pressure.
I was extremely intrigued about how Whitman described the average American. Towards the beginning of the Preface Whitman says “…the genius of the United States is not best or most in its executives or legislatures, nor in its ambassadors or authors or colleges or churches or parlors, nor even in its newspapers or inventors…but always most in the common people” (5,6). Obviously, Whitman thinks highly about regular people but this doesfeel somewhat complicated by the rest of the preface. In the paragraph that follows the stated quote, Whitman begins to describe “the common people”. While the tone of the paragraph seems positive, in a way it also feels condescending with statements like “aversion to anything indecorous or soft or mean” or “their susceptibility to a slight” (6). It’s possible that theses phrases just have a different meaning in the 21st century than the 19th but there does seem to be a conflict Whitman’s feelings about the “genius” of “the common people” and his actual description of them. I feel as though this is further emphasized by his grand description of the poet. Yet, I do not think Whitman is being mean about “the common people” instead I think he is fascinated capacity to feel and live freely while the poet must record and interpret life.
It is interesting to note that Whitman was not the only American who was focused on everyday America in art. The most popular form of painting in the late 19th and early 20th century was American Scene Painting or Regionalism. These paintings depict a slightly idealized typical American lifestyle. I feel like the preface to “Leaves of Grass” could be illustrated with some of the more famous American Scene Paintings. Winslow Homer’s 1874 “Boys in a Pasture” shows a sweet scene of American children in a field. There is nothing significant about this scene except that it does seem to be utterly American. This is the sense that I get from Whitman’s passage about “the common people”, in their ordinariness the common people become valuable artistic inspiration.
Winslow Homer, Boys in a Pasture, 1874
I appreciate the reflection on the sheer power of some of the language in the Preface. As much as we should explore the various themes and contradictions presented, it’s good to revel in the distinct expression here which hits certain peaks that are truly beautiful.
I’m not sure I sense the contrast between the poet and the common people (or what might seem some slight condescension in relation to the common people) in those lines you quote, but I do agree that it is important to question the extent to which Whitman romanticizes the common man or woman, using that sense of simplicity to stand in for a more authentic orientation towards the world. Does he mis-use the “common person,” or misunderstand the “common person”? Or does he honor that specific kind of position or experience in the world?