October 22, 2019
New Essay by Professor Jeff Gonzalez Analyzes Use of Walt Whitman by Contemporary Writers
Posted in: English Department, Homepage News and Events, Research
Professor Jeff Gonzalez鈥檚 new essay, 鈥,鈥 appears in the latest issue of College Literature, vol. 46 no. 4, 2019, p. 829-859.
The article, says Dr.Gonzalez, 鈥渁nalyzes counterintuitive uses of Walt Whitman by four contemporary US writers. Chris Adrian鈥檚 Gob鈥檚 Grief, Sherman Alexie鈥檚 鈥淒efending Walt Whitman,鈥 Andrea Dworkin鈥檚 Mercy, and Michael Cunningham鈥檚 Specimen Days break from common practice by displaying ambivalence or hostility toward Whitman, questioning his symbolic legacy rather than claiming heritage with him, 鈥 demonstrating important tensions within the contemporary US鈥檚 self-conception.鈥