Lincoln and Whitman: parallel lives in Civil War Washington
(Book)
Author:
Published:
New York : Random House Trade Paperbacks, c2004.
Physical Desc:
xv, 379 pages : ill., facsims., maps, ports. ; 21 cm.
Status:
Central
973.7092 L736ze 2004
Description
It was more than coincidence—indeed, it was all but fate—that the lives and thoughts of Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman should converge during the terrible years of the Civil War. Kindred spirits despite their profound differences in position and circumstance, Lincoln and Whitman shared a vision of the democratic character that sprang from the deepest part of their being. They had read or listened to each other’s words at crucial turning points in their lives. Both were utterly transformed by the tragedy of the war. In this radiant book, poet and biographer Daniel Mark Epstein tracks the parallel lives of these two titans from the day that Lincoln first read Leaves of Grass to the elegy Whitman composed after Lincoln’s assassination in 1865.
Drawing on the rich trove of personal and newspaper accounts, diary records, and lore that has accumulated around both the president and the poet, Epstein structures his double portrait in a series of dramatic, atmospheric scenes. Whitman, though initially skeptical of the Illinois Republican, became enthralled when Lincoln stopped in New York on the way to his first inauguration. During the war years, after Whitman moved to Washington to minister to wounded soldiers, the poet’s devotion to the president developed into a passion bordering on obsession. “Lincoln is particularly my man, and by the same token, I am Lincoln’s man.”
As Epstein shows, the influence and reverence flowed both ways. Lincoln had been deeply immersed in Whitman’s verse when he wrote his incendiary “House Divided” speech, and Whitman remained an influence during the darkest years of the war. But their mutual impact went beyond the intellectual. Epstein brings to life the many friends and contacts his heroes shared—Lincoln’s debonair private secretary John Hay, the fiery abolitionist senator Charles Sumner, the mysterious and possibly dangerous Polish Count Gurowski—as he unfolds the story of their legendary encounters in New York City and especially Washington during the war years.
Blending history, biography, and a deeply informed appreciation of Whitman’s verse and Lincoln’s rhetoric, Epstein has written a masterful and original portrait of two great men and the era they shaped through the vision they held in common.
Drawing on the rich trove of personal and newspaper accounts, diary records, and lore that has accumulated around both the president and the poet, Epstein structures his double portrait in a series of dramatic, atmospheric scenes. Whitman, though initially skeptical of the Illinois Republican, became enthralled when Lincoln stopped in New York on the way to his first inauguration. During the war years, after Whitman moved to Washington to minister to wounded soldiers, the poet’s devotion to the president developed into a passion bordering on obsession. “Lincoln is particularly my man, and by the same token, I am Lincoln’s man.”
As Epstein shows, the influence and reverence flowed both ways. Lincoln had been deeply immersed in Whitman’s verse when he wrote his incendiary “House Divided” speech, and Whitman remained an influence during the darkest years of the war. But their mutual impact went beyond the intellectual. Epstein brings to life the many friends and contacts his heroes shared—Lincoln’s debonair private secretary John Hay, the fiery abolitionist senator Charles Sumner, the mysterious and possibly dangerous Polish Count Gurowski—as he unfolds the story of their legendary encounters in New York City and especially Washington during the war years.
Blending history, biography, and a deeply informed appreciation of Whitman’s verse and Lincoln’s rhetoric, Epstein has written a masterful and original portrait of two great men and the era they shaped through the vision they held in common.
Copies
Location
Call Number
Status
Central
973.7092 L736ze 2004
On Shelf
More Copies In LINK+
Loading LINK+ Copies...
Subjects
LC Subjects
Lincoln, Abraham, -- 1809-1865.
Poets, American -- Biography.
Political culture -- United States -- History -- 19th century.
Political culture -- Washington (D.C.) -- History -- 19th century.
Presidents -- United States -- Biography.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1857-1861.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1861-1865.
Washington (D.C.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
Whitman, Walt, -- 1819-1892.
Poets, American -- Biography.
Political culture -- United States -- History -- 19th century.
Political culture -- Washington (D.C.) -- History -- 19th century.
Presidents -- United States -- Biography.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1857-1861.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1861-1865.
Washington (D.C.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
Whitman, Walt, -- 1819-1892.
More Details
Format:
Book
Language:
English
ISBN:
0345458001 (pbk.) :
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (p. [341]-366) and index.
Reviews from GoodReads
Loading GoodReads Reviews.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)
Epstein, D. M. (2004). Lincoln and Whitman: parallel lives in Civil War Washington. New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Epstein, Daniel Mark. 2004. Lincoln and Whitman: Parallel Lives in Civil War Washington. New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Epstein, Daniel Mark, Lincoln and Whitman: Parallel Lives in Civil War Washington. New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2004.
MLA Citation (style guide)Epstein, Daniel Mark. Lincoln and Whitman: Parallel Lives in Civil War Washington. New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2004.
Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
d2db9bac-2d44-22fb-6828-2f26ee41184b
QR Code
Record Information
Last Sierra Extract Time | Aug 29, 2024 10:56:28 PM |
---|---|
Last File Modification Time | Aug 29, 2024 10:56:55 PM |
Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Sep 07, 2024 02:15:45 AM |
MARC Record
LEADER | 01423nam 2200373Ia 4500 | ||
---|---|---|---|
001 | ocm58543703 | ||
003 | OCoLC | ||
005 | 20050324102625.0 | ||
008 | 050321s2004 nyuach b 001 0ceng d | ||
020 | |a 0345458001 (pbk.) : |c $14.95 | ||
040 | |a BRL |c BRL |d JRS | ||
043 | |a n-us--- |a n-us-dc | ||
049 | |a JRSA | ||
082 | |a 973.7092 | ||
099 | |a 973.7092 L736ze 2004 | ||
100 | 1 | |a Epstein, Daniel Mark. | |
245 | 1 | 0 | |a Lincoln and Whitman : |b parallel lives in Civil War Washington / |c Daniel Mark Epstein. |
260 | |a New York : |b Random House Trade Paperbacks, |c c2004. | ||
300 | |a xv, 379 p. : |b ill., facsims., maps, ports. ; |c 21 cm. | ||
504 | |a Includes bibliographical references (p. [341]-366) and index. | ||
600 | 1 | 0 | |a Lincoln, Abraham, |d 1809-1865. |
600 | 1 | 0 | |a Whitman, Walt, |d 1819-1892. |
650 | 0 | |a Presidents |z United States |v Biography. | |
650 | 0 | |a Poets, American |v Biography. | |
650 | 0 | |a Political culture |z United States |x History |y 19th century. | |
650 | 0 | |a Political culture |z Washington (D.C.) |x History |y 19th century. | |
651 | 0 | |a United States |x Politics and government |y 1857-1861. | |
651 | 0 | |a United States |x Politics and government |y 1861-1865. | |
651 | 0 | |a Washington (D.C.) |x History |y Civil War, 1861-1865. | |
907 | |a .b17280047 | ||
944 | |a JRS | ||
945 | |y .i47348690 |i 33029054802004 |l cenag |s - |k |u 18 |x 1 |w 0 |v 22 |t 3 |z 07-07-05 |o - | ||
994 | |a X0 |b JRS | ||
998 | |e - |d a |f eng |a cen |