In this course we will spend the semester close-reading a wide range of poems – from the extraordinary explosion of lyric in the English seventeenth century to the present day, as we follow work that is published contemporaneously with the course each week in various outlets. We’ll look at varieties of poetic device (rhyme, rhythm, stanzas, modernist disjunction), as well as exploring the ways in which the lyric has been used for political, spiritual and amatory expression. As a genre, poetry is often overlooked in broader cultural debates, so every second week or so, we’ll also have a reading from lyric theory in order to illuminate the ways in which poetic discourse connects with such discussion. As a reference work, students should consult The Princeton Encylopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Most importantly, the course will emphasize the pleasure of reading poems.
Last update: UAAQUINJ (10.01.2019)
Course completion requirements
To receive their credit (započet), students can miss no more than 3 classes. For each class, students must bring 3 questions that relate to the reading material and give these to the instructor before the class begins. Please make these relevant and clear; also, avoid questions that can be answered with yes or no – they should rather provoke open-ended discussion. Students must also submit an essay via of 1500 words by 7 June 2019 (email essays in DOC, DOCX, or ODT format to justin.quinn@ff.cuni.cz). Your essay should be written in the style of Stephanie Burt’s The Poem is You, and should deal with a poem that is not on the syllabus. The credit is comprised of 20% for the questions, and 80% for the essay; failure to gain more than 50% overall will result in failure of the course. Instances of plagiarism will result in automatic failure of the course.
Last update: UAAQUINJ (10.01.2019)
Literature
Critical Jonathan Culler, Theory of the Lyric (2015) Paul Fussell, Poetic Metre and Poetic Form (1965) Mutlu Konuk Blasing, Lyric Poetry: The Pain and Pleasure of Words (2007) Alastair Fowler, The New Oxford Book of Seventeenth-Century Verse (1991) The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, 4th ed. Roland Greene et al. ed (2012) Martin Heidegger, Poetry, Language, Thought (1971) Jackson and Prins, The Lyric Theory Reader. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univesrity Press, 2014 Susan Stewart, Lyric Possession.
Some sources for the poetry on the course The Page New Yorker New York Review of Books Edward Thomas, ed. The Pocket Book of Poems and Songs for the Open Air Alastair Fowler, ed. The New Oxford Book of Seventeenth-Century Verse (1991)
Last update: UAAQUINJ (12.01.2019)
Syllabus
22 Feb Introduction
1 Mar Robert Herrick, “Gather ye Rosebuds while ye may,” “Ah Ben! Say how or when,” “Fair Pledges of a Fruitful Tree,” “Ye have been fresh and green” Ben Jonson, “Thou art not, Penshurst,” “Here lies, to each her parents’ ruth,” “Fine Madam Would-be, wherefore should you fear” George Herbert: “Church Monuments,” “Peace” Frederick Seidel, “Surf’s Up”*
8 Mar A. E. Housman, “Reveille” Mother Goose rhymes Jeffrey Yang, “Devil”* Vona Groarke, “Vanishing Point”* A. E. Stallings, “For a Young Turkish Violinist”* Robert Scholes, “Reading Poetry: A Lost Art”, from The Crafty Reader^
15 Mar Ange Mlinko, “A Midsummer Night’s Work”* Catherine Barnett, “The Sky Flashes”* Ben Lerner, “The Pistil”*
22 Mar Thomas Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Nate Klug, “The Pokémon Go People”* Henri Cole, “Black Mushrooms”* Jane Yeh, “A Short History of Style”* Jonathan Culler, “Lyric, History and Genre”^
29 Mar Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Inscription for a Fountain on a Heath” Christina Rosetti, “The irresponsive silence of the land...” Stephanie Burt, The Poem is You (chapters on James Merrill, Rae Armantrout, Lucie Brock-Broido)^
5 Apr William Wordsworth, “Elegiac Stanzas Suggested by a Picture of Peele Castle, in a Storm, painted by Sir George Beaumont”, “Ode (There was a time when meadow…)” Adrienne Rich, poems^
12 Apr Mutlu Konuk Blasing, Introduction, Lyric Poetry: The Pain and Pleasure of Words^ Anonymous, “In somer when the shawes be sheyne” William Barnes, “The aïr to gi'e your cheäks a hue”, "I got two fields" Thomas Traherne, “How Like an Angel came I down”
19 Apr: National Holiday
26 Apr William Wordsworth, "Yew Trees" John Clare, "Beside a runnel build my shed" William Blake, "The Little Vagabond" Alfred Lord Tennyson, "Mariana" John Marston, "The nut-brown ale, the nut-brown ale" Jorie Graham, "It Cannot Be" [handout]
3 May Jahan Ramazani, “Poetry and the News,” from Poetry and Its Others^ Walter Savage Landor, "Lines to a Dragon-Fly" Angela Leighton, "Pickpocket, Naples"
10 May H. D. poems^ Rupi Kaur poems^
17 May Susan Stewart, “Lyric Possession”^ Atticus poems^ Dylan Thomas poems^
24 May Students prepare a 5 minute presentation that reviews the course. For instance, you may like to cover the areas of knowledge and skills that the course provided, or consider how it fits with other courses at the dept. The floor will be yours.
*Poems marked with an asterisk can be found in the file “Reading Poems Reader” on the IS in the course description (available in both DOCX and PDF formats). ^Texts marked with a caret can be found on the IS.
