Texts:
Requirements:
1 Regular attendance and preparation for class discussions are primary requirements for passing this course. Three unexcused absences will adversely affect the final grade for the course.
2 The written work will consist of your poems, which you will hand in to me as ten out of the eleven assignments become due during the semester (you may skip one) and again as a whole at the end of the semester in a portfolio demonstrating your progress in writing new poetry or in revising the poems you have already shown me earlier in the semester. You should, of course, feel free to show me new poems or revisions of poems which are not parts of particular assignments at any time during the semester. Your grade in the course will reflect the progress which can be demonstrated by the final portfolio. In addition, you will hand in a short essay (2-3 pages) on the criticism or self-analysis of a poet as described below in 3c. This essay will be due on the day of your report.
3 You will be responsible for three types of oral presentations, and your grade in the course will reflect your preparation for and precision in delivering these reports:
a. Reading(s) of your
poetry in which you describe the process of writing the two or
three poems which you read in class and offer a self-critique
of the poems and the techniques you have used in them. You will
be responsible for seeing to it that copies of the poems which
you will read to the class are made available to each member
of the class at least one class meeting before the day of your
reading. The English Department will make its xeroxing facilities
available to you. Members of the class will be responsible for
offering constructive criticism of the poetry read to them.
b. A brief report (5-10 minutes)
on one or two of your favorite poems in a book of poetry by one
of your favorite poets in which you describe precisely what you
find well-done in that person’s book of poetry and in the
poem(s) you are reporting on, and how your own work has been
influenced by that poet or poem(s). You should characterize the
kind of poetry published in this book and the techniques of unity
represented in this collection of poetry. You will be responsible
for seeing to it that copies of the poems which you read to the
class are made available to each member of the class at least
one class meeting before the day of your report.
c. A brief report (5-10 minutes)
on the criticism or self-analysis of a poet different than the
poet you reported on in part (b) above. You will focus here on
the criticism or self-analysis itself, but also on how useful
the criticism or self-analysis of the poet has proven to be to
your understanding of the work of this poet. Did it change your
appreciation of the poet? If so, how and why did it do so? Refer
to the list of Poetry and Criticism handed out to you
in class for some typical books which contain essays you may
use for this report. You will prepare a 2-3 page essay of your
report and hand it in to me on the date you give the report.
You will be responsible for seeing to it that copies of the poems
which you will refer to in the report are made available to each
member of the class at least one class meeting before the day
of your report.
1. (1/13) Introduction; What is Poetry? [reading assignment:
Kennedy-Gioia 359-62]
2. (1/15) What is Poetry?; in-class writing
(assignment 1) [reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 1-14;
McGraw-Hill 5-13; Plath, "Daddy" (McG 826); Roethke,
"My Papa’s Waltz" (K-G 18); Lowell, "Skunk
Hour" (McG 746)]
3. (1/18) Types of Poetry; Tone [reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia
30-37; McGraw-Hill 40-44; Crane, "War is Kind" (McG
41); Hardy, "The Ruined Maid" (McG 43); Dickinson,
"Because I Could Not Stop for Death" (K-G 367)]
4. (1/20) Irony; poetry reading: _______________________ [reading
assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 23-30; McGraw-Hill 14-16; Frost, "Out,
out" (McG 542); Levine, "Animals are Passing from Our
Lives" (K-G 447); Browning, "My Last Duchess"
(K-G 11)]
5. (1/22) Persona; in-class writing (assignment
2); assignment 1 due; report on a book of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 30, 91-98; McGraw-Hill 23-29;
Williams, "This is Just to Say" (K-G 50); Pound, "In
a Station of the Metro" (K-G 91); Buson, "The Piercing
Chill I Feel" (K-G 91)]
6. (1/25) Sensation; poetry reading: _______________________;
report on critique of poetry: _______________________ [reading
assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 91-98; Bishop, "Filling Station"
(K-G 387); Bishop, "First Death in Nova Scotia" (McG
26)]
7. (1/27) Imagery; report on critique of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: McGraw-Hill 23-29; Thomas, "Fern Hill"
(K-G 495)]
8. (1/29) Imagery; in-class writing (assignment
3); assignment 2 due; report on a book of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 117-23; Shakespeare, "That
Time of Year" (McG 32)]
9. (2/1) Metaphor/Simile; poetry reading: _______________________;
report on critique of poetry: _______________________ [reading
assignment: McGraw-Hill 29-33; Hongo, "Cadence of Silk"
(K-G 431)]
10. (2/3) Metaphor/Simile; report on critique of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 252-66; McGraw-Hill 35-36;
Frost, "The Road Not Taken" (K-G 260)]
11. (2/5) Symbol; in-class writing (assignment
4); assignment 3 due; report on a book of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 124-26; McGraw-Hill 34-35;
Dickinson, "I Started Early" (K-G 366); Keats, "To
Autumn" (K-G 443); Waller, "Go Lovely Rose" (K-G
500)]
12. (2/8) Personification; poetry reading: _______________________;
report on critique of poetry: _______________________ [reading
assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 181-89; Hall, "Names of Horses"
(K-G 419); Stafford, "At the Klamath Berry Festival"
(K-G 487); Thomas, "Fern Hill" (K-G 495)]
13. (2/10) Pacing and Rhythm; report on a book of poetry: _______________________;
report on critique of poetry: _______________________ [reading
assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 189-201; Simpson, "The Heroes"
(McG 53); Williams, "The Dance" (McG 587)]
(2/12/99 – NO CLASS) assignment 4
due (in my mailbox inside the English Department)
14. (2/15) Meter; in-class writing (assignment
5); report on a book of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 189-201; Yeats, "The
Magi" (K-G 513)]
15. (2/17) Meter; poetry reading: _______________________; report
on critique of poetry: _______________________ [reading assignment:
McGraw-Hill 52-56; from Pope, "Essay on Criticism"
(McG 277)]
16. (2/19) Meter; in-class writing (assignment
6); assignment 5 due; report on a book of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 204-13; Thomas, "Do Not
Go Gentle Into That Good Night" (McG 744)]
17. (2/22) Closed forms; poetry reading: _______________________;
report on critique of poetry: _______________________ [reading
assignment: McGraw-Hill 56-60; Frost, "Birches" (K-G
414); Dante, Inferno, canto 3 (McG 1051)]
18. (2/24) Closed forms; report on critique of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 213-18; McGraw-Hill 58-60;
Shakespeare, "That Time of Year" (K-G 479); Wordsworth,
"Composed Upon Westminster Bridge" (K-G 507)]
19. (2/26) Sonnet; in-class writing (assignment
7); assignment 6 due; report on a book of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 242-46; McGraw-Hill 67-72;
cummings, "Buffalo Bill’s Dead" (McG 676); Herbert,
"The Altar" (McG 67); Hollander, "The Swan"
(McG 71)]
20. (3/1) Shaped verse; poetry reading: _______________________;
report on critique of poetry: _______________________ [reading
assignment: McGraw-Hill 56-60]
21. (3/3) Open Form; report on critique of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 229-41]
22. (3/5) Open Form; in-class writing (assignment
8); assignment 7 due; report on a book of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: McGraw-Hill 73-91]
(3/8/99 – 3/12/99 – SPRING BREAK, NO CLASS)
23. (3/15) Poetry and the Visual Arts; poetry reading: _______________________;
report on critique of poetry: _______________________ [reading
assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 234-36; Auden, "Musée des
Beaux Arts" (McG 81)]
24. (3/17) Poetry and the Visual Arts; poetry reading: _______________________;
report on critique of poetry: _______________________ [reading
assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 137-54; McGraw-Hill 91-110]
(3/19/99 – NO CLASS) assignment 8
due (in my mailbox inside the English Department)
25. (3/22) Poetry and Song; in-class writing (assignment 9);
report on a book of poetry: _______________________ [reading
assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 137-54; McGraw-Hill 91-110]
26. (3/24) Poetry and Song; poetry reading: _______________________;
report on critique of poetry: _______________________ [reading
assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 323-26; Hecht, "The Dover Bitch"
(McG 767) and Arnold, "Dover Beach" (McG 458)]
27. (3/26) Parody; in-class writing (assignment
10); assignment 9 due; report on a book of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 172, 231-33; McGraw-Hill 113,
203, 204, 898]
28. (3/29) Adoration; poetry reading: _______________________;
report on critique of poetry: _______________________ [reading
assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 399; McGraw-Hill 376]
29. (3/31) Love; poetry reading: _______________________; report
on critique of poetry: _______________________ [reading assignment:
Kennedy-Gioia 436-37; McGraw-Hill 236, 448, 508]
(4/2/99 – PASSOVER/GOOD FRIDAY, NO CLASS)
30. (4/5) War; poetry reading: _______________________ [reading
assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 439; McGraw-Hill 236, 1114]
31. (4/7) Death; report on a book of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 269-75]
32. (4/9) Myth; in-class writing (assignment
11); assignment 10 due; report on a book of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 275-78]
33. (4/12) Personal Myth; poetry reading: _______________________;
report on a book of poetry: _______________________ [reading
assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 278-88]
34. (4/14) Myth and Popular Culture; poetry reading: _______________________;
report on a book of poetry: _______________________ [reading
assignment: Kennedy-Gioia 60-68; Cope, "Lonely Hearts"
(K-G 67)]
35. (4/16) Language; poetry reading: _______________________;
assignment 11 due [reading assignment:
Kennedy-Gioia 55-60; McGraw-Hill 17-23]
36. (4/19) Language; report on a book of poetry: _______________________
[reading assignment: Billy Collins, "Dear Reader";
Philip Levine, "The Simple Truth"]
37. (4/21) Accessibility as Aesthetic; FINAL
PORTFOLIOS DUE; report on a book of poetry: _______________________;
38. (4/23) evaluations