To explore Whitman further, and to also dabble into his stance on homosexuality, I'm thinking of crafting some type of short story- embedding quotes and details from the poem as well as seeking to enhance the tone, themes, and motifs. I believe this would be an interesting story, both in terms of exploring the speaker's sexuality, as well as the secretive nature of their meeting in the bar. I'm a huge fan of secret romances, so I think it could be a powerful story.
A GLIMPSE, through an interstice caught,
Of a crowd of workmen and drivers in a bar-room, around the stove,
late of a winter night--And I unremark'd seated in a corner;
Of a youth who loves me, and whom I love, silently approaching, and
seating himself near, that he may hold me by the hand;
A long while, amid the noises of coming and going--of drinking and
oath and smutty jest,
There we two, content, happy in being together, speaking little,
perhaps not a word.
By, Walt Whitman
That does sound like a really good idea. I am really interested in how you will portray their relationship through their secret interactions. I'm wondering though what your goal is with this? You mention it would be interesting to explore the speakers sexuality, maybe you can hint at a bigger idea that Whitman explores within his poetry. You wouldn't have to look far though for even in the poem about their bar meeting, it not only references their hidden sexuality but hidden identities that seem uncommon for the modern, working American. How does that relate to Whitman's love for America and strong desire to be the voice of the Nation? Especially as a paradox of having a counterculture identity when he's trying to tackle or represent the common person.
ReplyDeleteNow that sounds like quite a steamy venture! I do wonder though, how you plan on depicting these two men and their interactions. Kind of like what was talked about during class, there are probably many different points of views on what people think of the (true nature of their) relationship between the two. Are you thinking of portraying your own interpretation (based on things like Whitman's poetry, biographical evidence, etc), or maybe considering a mash-up of different elements from different points of view? In the end though, I would really like to see how you'll dig into this strangely secret, yet not so private aspect of Whitman's life -- and maybe even dig even further into the man behind his messages and stuff? After all, Doyle seems to have been quite a muse to him.
ReplyDeleteI like it! You'll want to take a look at the biography of "Pete the Great" available in the Whitman archives . . . and there might be some other short bio pieces to check . .
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