Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, 2026, 9(4); doi: 10.25236/AJHSS.2026.090405.
Wang Yunhao
School of Foreign Languages, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
Walt Whitman's poetic expression of sex in Leaves of Grass breaks through the ideological constraints of the 19th century, demonstrating a pioneering sexual perspective and profound humanistic connotations. With "omnisexual vision" as its core, this expression covers four basic forms of human sexual development: egomania, heterosexuality, homosexuality, and universal love. It constructs a unique sexual poetics through the dialectical unity of body and soul, the harmonious coexistence of sex and nature, and the spiritual integration of sex and democracy. While fiercely attacked by the conservative thoughts of the Victorian era, this expression has been recognized by later generations as a pioneering work of modern sexual writing. Its sincere eulogy of sex and awareness of equality not only enriches the artistic dimension of American poetry but also establishes Whitman's dual status in the development of world sexology and literary innovation.
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, Poetic expression of sex, Omnisexual vision, Democratic spirit
Wang Yunhao. Whitman's Poetic Expression of Sex— A Textual Interpretation of Leaves of Grass. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (2026), Vol. 9, Issue 4: 32-41. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2026.090405.
[1] Gray R. A Brief History of American Literature[M]. John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Reprint ed. Higher Education Press, 2014.
[2] Whitman W. Whitman: Poetry and Prose[M]. Ed. by Kaplan J. The Library of America, 1982: ISBN 0-940450-02-X.
[3] Lv S N. On the compromising aspect of female literature in the Victorian Era[J]. Literatures, 2011: 175-176.
[4] Guo Y J. A perspective of Walt Whitman's "Omnisexual Vision" and its representations[J]. Journal of Beijing International Studies University, 2012, 4: 34-39, 51.
[5] Plato. Republic[M]. Trans. by Reeve C D C. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2004.
[6] Liu H. On sexual poetry creation and transcendentalism from the perspective of Walt Whitman's poetic aesthetics and sexual values[J]. Journal of Guangxi University (Philosophy and Social Science), 2009, 31(3): 135-138.
[7] Hong Z G. The beauty of the human body and sexual descriptions in Leaves of Grass[J]. Foreign Literature Studies, 1993, 1: 22-27.