Talk:Walt Whitman

Not attempting a biography here

People seem to be obsessed with analyzing Whitman's life, in particular with trying to prove whether he was gay or not. That is done so extensively elsewhere that I have not even attempted it here, besides which, I am of the school of thought which believes that an author's written work should speak for itself. Instead of worry so much about his unusual life, I included a couple of short excerpts of his writing, because there is so much verbiage about Whitman that people may not have had a chance simply to read the work he left behind to be read. I'm of the opinion that his work would stand as valuable even if one knows absolutely nothing about the man or the life he lived. Pat Palmer (talk) 21:09, 22 September 2020 (UTC)

Recommendation to read an intro last

For anyone reading Leaves of Grass, I recommend skipping any introduction provided by a third party and going straight to the text written by Whitman. Most paperback and hardcopy editions I've seen come with long-winded intros that really add nothing. If you must read them, read them after you've read the text. Otherwise, it will be like seeing a movie when someone told you spoilers, and also, their opinions will likely color your own reaction.Pat Palmer (talk) 10:00, 19 October 2022 (CDT)