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Course Description

Summary

In what ways is reading poetry a fundamentally different practice from reading prose? What can we discover about a poem by examining its structure and the choices the poet made? In this introductory course we will trace the chronological development of poetry in English as we carefully consider a range of different poems from different historical periods, as well as contemporary works in a variety of aesthetic sensibilities. Our objective is to ascertain what a poem is, exactly, and to develop a vocabulary to discuss poetry and prosody (the patterns of sound and rhythm in a poem). We will also read, hear from, and converse with several contemporary poets via Zoom over the course of the term. Assignments include active weekly participation on discussion boards, two longer critical essays about individual poems, and recitations of memorized poems.