How the years change taste. When in college I took a course in American Lit of the 19th century and remember being absolutely blown away by Whitman's long sentences, lists, expansive details and subjects. Now, sadly, these same things felt grating. I understand the reasons behind his decisions for those lists, but they just got tiresome and it didn't feel right anymore. I never finished the whole collection back then, only parts of Song of Myself, so I felt it necessary to fully give him a try. I found I really enjoyed "I Sing The Body Electric" and "To Think of Time" more than Song of Myself.

All being said and done, his ego and grandiosity really got in the way of this for me. Good to know his voice so as to recognize its influences in subsequent poetry (I am in no way denying that this poet was a huge influence on American poetry), but just not in my taste any longer.