28. The Language of the American Self

Mid19 th century America saw the rise of the profession of public authorship as the vehicle for literary life and political commentary. The strong autobiographical turn in American writinggoing back to the 17 th century Puritan preoccupation with the diary and journal and to the later 18 th and early19 th century proliferation of slave narrativesdeveloped at this time into fullfledged prose and poetic expression. The autobiographical writings of Frederick Douglass illustrate the shaping of an AfricanAmerican literary and linguistic tradition at midcentury. The bardic voice of Walt Whitman illustrates the possibilities of an American poetry to change the language forever. The Shakespearean prowess and lexicographical obsessions of Melvilles Moby Dick demonstrate how the study of the history of the language contributes to the making of a unique voice of American social experience.