The goal of the course is to familiarise students with the wide variety of Anglophone poetic theory and practice in the twentieth century, giving them the foundations for doctoral-level research.
Keith Tuma (ed.) Anthology of Twentieth-Century British and Irish Poetry (OUP, 2001)
Jon Cook (ed), Poetry in Theory (Blackwell, 2004)
Michael Schmidt (ed.), The Harvill Book of Twentieth-Century Poetry in English Postmodern American Poetry: A Norton Anthology
Other Sources
A full bibliography of secondary reading will be provided.
Course Schedules
Week
Contents
Learning Methods
1. Week
Introduction: Contexts
Lectures, class discussion, group work
2. Week
Symbolism: Yeats, ‘The Symbolism of Poetry’; Mallarme
Lectures, class discussion, group work
3. Week
Futurism / Imagism / Vorticism: Ezra Pound, H. D. and Mina Loy
Lectures, class discussion, group work
4. Week
Modernism (1): Pound and Eliot
Lectures, class discussion, group work
5. Week
Modernism (2): W. C. Williams, Wallace Stevens, e e cummings
Lectures, class discussion, group work
6. Week
The Modern Epic: Pound, Williams, Zukovsky
Lectures, class discussion, group work
7. Week
Harlem Renaissance: Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay
Lectures, class discussion, group work
8. Week
Beat Poetry: Allan Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Gary Snyder
Lectures, class discussion, group work
9. Week
The Movement: Philip Larkin, Elizabeth Jennings and Thom Gunn
Lectures, class discussion, group work
10. Week
Projective Verse: Charles Olson and the Black Mountain poets (Robert Creeley, Denise Levertov)
Lectures, class discussion, group work
11. Week
Confessional Poetry: Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton and Robert Lowell
Lectures, class discussion, group work
12. Week
The British Poetry Revival: J. H. Prynne and Denise Riley
Lectures, class discussion, group work
13. Week
Decolonising the word: Derek Walcott, Les Murray, Grace Nichols
Lectures, class discussion, group work
14. Week
L-A-N-G-U-A-G-E poetry: Charles Bernstein and John Ashbery
Lectures, class discussion, group work
15. Week
Final Exams Week
16. Week
Final Exams Week
17. Week
Final Exams Week
Assessments
Evaluation tools
Quantity
Weight(%)
Midterm(s)
1
15
Homework / Term Projects / Presentations
2
60
Final Exam
1
25
Program Outcomes
PO-1
Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of literary texts, authors, genres and movements.
PO-2
Display a thorough understanding of literary research methodology and different critical approaches to literature.
PO-3
Analyze texts from different theoretical perspectives.
PO-4
Develop a critical understanding of literature.
PO-5
Know how to conduct independent research in English studies.
PO-6
Articulate and share interpretation of texts and contexts in carefully constructed
arguments.
PO-7
Apply precise critical terminology in the presentation of analysis and research.
PO-8
Engage in scholarly debates about their academic subjects.
PO-9
Critically examine and use the latest research materials in their academic discipline.
PO-10
Identify the ways both explicit and implicit cultural norms and assumptions affect perceptions and judgements.
PO-11
Recognize the interdisciplinary aspects of English Studies and its complex relationship with other disciplines and forms of knowledge.
PO-12
Develop a capacity to pursue academic studies at the doctoral level.
Learning Outcomes
LO-1
LO 1. show a broad knowledge and understanding of the range of twentieth-century Anglophone poetic theory and practice;
LO-2
LO 2. identify and discuss the intellectual, cultural and socio-historical contexts in which modern poetry has been written and read, and situate individual works within these contexts;
LO-3
LO 3. demonstrate a sophisticated sensitivity to the language and poetic devices employed by contemporary poets, through close reading, description, interpretation, and analysis;
LO-4
LO 4. understand and deploy key terms and concepts relating to contemporary poetic practice and theory;
LO-5
LO 5 structure and articulate ideas regarding poetic theory and practice in a sophisticated, coherent manner;
LO-6
LO 6 conduct independent research on twentieth-century poetry, utilizing suitable theoretical approaches and appropriate resources.
