Walt Whitman’s Multitudes: Labor Reform
and Persona in Whitman *s Journalism and
the First Leaves of Grass, 1840-1855
Jason Stacy
Peter Lang, 2008
As is clear from the title, Jason Stacy’s book is both a study of Whitman’s
literary and intellectual growth and a history of the period. While labor reform is
dealt with in some detail, the real focus is on identifying the different personas
Whitman employed in his writing and tying them together. The primary link
between the personas is how Whitman’s ideas about labor reform remained
consistent. Stacy structures his discussion around the Artisan and Schoolmaster,
the Editor, and the Bard personas as he moves chronologically through
Whitman’s writing. The book seeks to analyze Whitman’s early ideas about
labor and to identify the continuity of thought from the Artisan through the early
Bard personas, both of which Stacy does successfully.
While tracing the early chronology of Whitman’s life, Stacy interweaves the
relevant social, political, and economic events that likely influenced Whitman’s
later writings. However, the text is not strictly limited to the years 1840 to 1855
as Stacy steps out of those years when necessary. The result is a balanced
biographical sketch of Whitman and a broad look at the range of influences on
Whitman’s writing. This technique allows Stacy to draw connections between
some of the varied themes that Whitman addressed between 1840 and 1855.
Ultimately, the focus is on the texts, and not so much the change, but the
continuity of ideas in Whitman’s writing through his different personas.
Focusing on the three personas Whitman created in some of his earliest
published writing, Stacy uses each of the personas to define the major sections
of his book. Part one is dedicated to the Artisan and Schoolmaster, two personas
that Stacy has wisely grouped together. This section is a good example of how
Stacy combines biographical details of Whitman’s life, including his early
education and employment in print shops, with his later development of the
voice or persona of the Artisan. Stacy identifies the variety of influences of the
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