Abstract

Provides an explanation for Whitman's use of sequences of dots to break up lines internally in the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass by arguing that Whitman was using a standard convention of nineteenth-century oratory-the Rhetorical Pause-and goes on to integrate this insight with a substantial reading of the first edition emphasizing the poem's radical effort to present the poet engaged in an oratorical performance; uses ideas from nineteenth-century oraticians including Samuel Kirkland and Dr. James Rush, as well as contemporary language theorists including Derrida.

How to Cite:

Hollis, C. C., (1984) “Rhetoric, Elocution, and Voice in Leaves of Grass: A Study in Affiliation”, Walt Whitman Quarterly Review 2(2), 1-21. doi: https://doi.org/10.13008/2153-3695.1068

Rights: Copyright © 1984 C. Carroll Hollis