ENG 184 - American Poetry

This course aims to make us all better readers of American poetry and also poses a number of contextual questions: How did audiences for and purposes of poetry change in particular time periods? What kinds of poetry have been “canonized” by later academics, and what kinds have not? What is the relationship between politics and poetry? Are cultural expectations formed by poetic expression, or do cultural norms and changes drive poetic innovation? How have conditions of publishing affected the writing of poetry? Offered every year with varying special topics.

SPECIAL TOPIC FOR FALL ‘12— ORALITY AND POETRY: This course will focus on poetry as an oral form, from the ancient rhapsode tradition, to recitation in nineteenth-century America, to contemporary poetry readings. We primarily will use performance, recitation, memorization, and oral presentation to explore the fundamentals of formal analysis (meter and other aural effects) and to move through the literary history of American poetry. For undergraduate English majors and minors, this course satisfies the Genre (B-1) requirement.