Obey Little, Resist Much

Whitman’s Fight for Democracy

Abstract

Robert J. Begiebing examines Mark Edmundson’s Song of Ourselves: Walt Whitman and the Fight for Democracy, situating the book within a moment of renewed democratic crisis in American public life. Begiebing frames Edmundson’s study as an unapologetic defense of the continuing moral and civic power of canonical literature, emphasizing Edmundson’s belief that Whitman’s Song of Myself offers not only poetic innovation but a living philosophy of democratic life. Through detailed engagement with Edmundson’s close reading of the 1855 Leaves of Grass and its spiritual, bodily, and political commitments, the review highlights Whitman’s vision of democracy as a form of lived empathy, egalitarian nonconformity, and ethical action. Begiebing also draws suggestive parallels between Whitman’s democratic ambition and Norman Mailer’s literary project, particularly Mailer’s emphasis on consciousness, resistance to conformity, and the moral risks of leadership. Ultimately, the review presents Edmundson’s book as a timely guide for general readers and teachers, arguing for the enduring relevance of Whitman’s injunction to “obey little, resist much” in both literary study and democratic practice.