“Walt Whitman and Canada: A Controversial Relationship”

Despite the universal focus of his work and his worldwide influence, Walt Whitman went abroad only once and late in his life. Canada was the first and only foreign country he ever visited. Among the extensive and varied criticism of Whitman, little attention has been given to references to Canada in his writings so far. This essay explores Whitman’s relationship with Canada with a focus on his poetry to determine whether the poet adopts an imperialistic stance towards this neighboring nation. The analysis of specific linguistic strategies, such as catalogs, place names, and the geographical positioning of the poetic voice, suggests a political erasure of Canada’s border, whose significance is interpreted by relying on Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri’s concept of “Empire” (2000: XI) and on Walter Grünzweig’s perspective, which highlights the complexity of the Whitman-imperialism relationship. The essay demonstrates how Whitman’s understanding of Canada exemplifies this complexity.