Date of Award
1990
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Coyle, William
Abstract
Walt Whitman relied heavily upon an ornithological reference book for most of the bird imagery in Leaves of Grass. Despite claims that Whitman was closely in tune with nature, he obviously made use of The Birds of Long Island by J. P. Giraud, published in 1844, in numerous passages over a period of about 20 years. Courtland Y. White first noticed Whitman's dependence upon this text in 1944. This study goes beyond White's findings, surveys the importance of accuracy in Whitman's details about birds, and examines the poet's relationship with the naturalist John Burroughs, whose influence is seen in at least one major poem.
Extent
63 p.
Recommended Citation
Springer, Nancy Patterson, "source of bird imagery in the poetry of Walt Whitman" (1990). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1990 - 1999. 113.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_4/113
Identifier
FADT14600
Comments
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1990.|Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters