whitmanism

Etymology

From Whitman + -ism.

whitmanism means The literary style and approach of the American poet Walt Whitman (1819–1892). Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.

Why this word is great

WHITMANISM — [Noun] The literary style and approach of Walt Whitman, characterized by free verse, an incantatory celebration of self and democracy, and the radical inclusion of all things in catalogues of transcendent equality. From the proper name Whitman (referring to Walt Whitman) + the suffix -ism, denoting a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy. Unlike Transcendentalism (which suggests a spiritual retreat from the world) or Imagism (which demands a clinical focus on the singular image), Whitmanism is a poetics of oceanic embrace. It is the oceanic roll of a ferry-crossing catalogue, the scent of calamus and the salt-tang of the Paumanok shore, and the intimate whisper shared with a stranger on a crowded omnibus—the audacious faith that to sing the self exhaustively is to gather the multitudes of a nation, one gritty, glorious detail at a time.

noun

The literary style and approach of the American poet Walt Whitman (1819–1892).