Whitman Scholarship Thrives at TCNJ
When listening to Professors Michael Robertson and David Blake of TCNJ’s Department of English talk about Walt Whitman, the listener is introduced to a man who was adored by many-even himself. Robertson and Blake each recently published a book about the great American poet, in addition to co-editing a collection of essays commemorating the 150th anniversary of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.
When listening to Professors Michael Robertson and David Blake of TCNJ’s Department of English talk about Walt Whitman, the listener is introduced to a man who was adored by many-even himself. Robertson and Blake each recently published a book about the great American poet, in addition to co-editing a collection of essays commemorating the 150th anniversary of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.
Blake and Robertson both fell in love with Whitman’s poetry after college. They were fascinated by Whitman’s status as the first modern American poet. Whitman, Blake noted, was “a poet of democracy who insisted on the equality of body and soul, women and men, master, and slave.”
Blake’s book, Walt Whitman and the Culture of American Celebrity, was published by Yale University Press in 2006. Blake began the book because he was interested in the way Whitman’s poetry regularly promoted and celebrated itself. Whitman is often regarded as the first modern American poet on account of his innovative verse form and content matter; Blake’s book reveals that Whitman’s modernity extends to his promotional strategies.
Princeton University Press recently published Robertson’s book, Worshipping Walt: The Whitman Disciples. In it, Robertson sought to “recover a religious approach to Whitman’s work” through his disciples. Whitman, who Robertson argues was a great religious writer as well as a great poet, attracted many well-known writers’ adoration during his time, including playwright Oscar Wilde. “[Robertson] recovers a vision of a 19th-century religious world that goes beyond Whitman,” commented Blake on his colleague’s work.
The two professors co-edited a collection of essays, Walt Whitman, Where the Future Becomes Present, that was recently published by the University of Iowa Press.
The origin of the book was a symposium commemorating the 150th anniversary of “Leaves of Grass,” held at TCNJ in 2005. With the help of numerous members of TCNJ’s communty, including President R. Barbara Gitenstein, Associate Provost Ellie Fogarty, and project coordinator Jane Marchetti ’71 (MA ’06), Robertson and Blake organized the symposium as part of TCNJ’s own Sesquicentennial celebration. The three-day event included a jazz concert, art show, theater performance, and scholarly panels that attracted more than 700 people from the College and surrounding community. The book was a way “to let the event live on,” noted Blake.
All three Whitman books are “a testament to the open, collaborative environment at TCNJ,” said Blake. He and Robertson frequently shared sources and insights and helped each other revise their work.
They both commented on the role that teaching played in their research. Robertson taught a first-year seminar on Walt Whitman, and Blake taught a capstone class on Whitman for English majors. “Research enriches teaching,” Robertson explained, “and teaching enriches research.” With the publication of the three books, Blake and Robertson demonstrate not only their love and dedication for Walt Whitman, but also their dedication to students and the community.
Posted on May 22, 2008
