Journey as Structural Motif in “Song of Myself”
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Chang, Young-hee. “Journey as Structural Motif in “Song of Myself”.” Studies on English Language and Literature. 33.3(2007): 107-127. Although Whitman himself emphasized the importance of seeking ‘unity’ in his “Song of Myself,” the structure of “Song of Myself” has long troubled the critics. Many critics argue that the fifty-two sections of the poem are either too ‘episodic’ or at best lacking in a structural motif that meaningfully integrates the poem. The present paper attempts to find in a journey motif the integrating force that not only ‘unites’ the fifty-two sections of the poem but also gives a meaning to the poem. Each leg of this journey can be summarized into five progressive stages: In Stage 1, the ‘I’ experiences the ecstatic moment of union with God. but is still isolated from the world. In the second and third stages, the ‘I’ takes on a journey to the outside world and expands to encompass the breadth of humanity, witnessing the dissolving of all contradictions and discrepancies. In the fourth stage, he achieves a new transcendental vision that allows a self that completely merges with the outer world. Now convinced of the interrelationship of all things, in the final stage the poet departs, promising the same journey to the reader. (Sogang University)
Abstract
Chang, Young-hee. “Journey as Structural Motif in “Song of Myself”.” Studies on English Language and Literature. 33.3(2007): 107-127. Although Whitman himself emphasized the importance of seeking ‘unity’ in his “Song of Myself,” the structure of “Song of Myself” has long troubled the critics. Many critics argue that the fifty-two sections of the poem are either too ‘episodic’ or at best lacking in a structural motif that meaningfully integrates the poem. The present paper attempts to find in a journey motif the integrating force that not only ‘unites’ the fifty-two sections of the poem but also gives a meaning to the poem. Each leg of this journey can be summarized into five progressive stages: In Stage 1, the ‘I’ experiences the ecstatic moment of union with God. but is still isolated from the world. In the second and third stages, the ‘I’ takes on a journey to the outside world and expands to encompass the breadth of humanity, witnessing the dissolving of all contradictions and discrepancies. In the fourth stage, he achieves a new transcendental vision that allows a self that completely merges with the outer world. Now convinced of the interrelationship of all things, in the final stage the poet departs, promising the same journey to the reader. (Sogang University)
참고문헌 (9)
- Carlisle, "The Drama of Identity", pp.259~276 (1968)
- Emerson, "In The American Tradition in Literature", pp.503~524 (1990), McGraw Hill Publishing Company
- Loving, Jerome, "Walt Whitman: The Song of Himself" (1999), University of California Press
- Matthiessen, "Art and Expression in the Age of Emerson and Whitman" (1968), Oxford University Press
- Miller, "Song of Myself A Mosaic of Interpretations University of Iowa Press" (1989)
- Poulet, "Studies in Human Time" (1958)
- Reynolds, David S. Ed, "A Historical Guide to Walt Whitman" (2000), New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Whitman, "Leaves of Grass and Selected Prose" (1950)
- Blodgett, "Leaves of Grass" (1973), Norton & Company Inc