English 56: Poets – Nature Poetry - Lyric & Narrative ProfessorAndrewWarren TF:JosephineReeceT/Th10-1130BarkerCenter018; [email protected]–timestobearrangedaftershoppingweek(*seebelow) OfficeHours:T2-4(orbyappointment);[email protected]
{from Bingyi, Apocalypse – 2011-15 – landscapes depicting the devastation of the 2008 Sichuan earthquakes and floods}
This course is a general introduction to reading, discussing and writing about poetry. Our theme this year will be Nature Poetry – that is, poems written about natural environments and humans’ precarious place within them. We begin with Milton's epic, Paradise Lost, and then turn to eighteenth-century satires by Pope & Swift, and work by the Romantics—Wordsworth, Coleridge, Blake, Barbauld, Keats, Shelley, Clare & Charlotte Smith. Other writers will include: Americans like Dickinson & Whitman; Modernists such as Eliot & Stevens; post-war poets including Bishop, Ammons & Walcott; as well as several contemporary poets such as Rae Armantrout & Monica Youn. Each week students will attend one standard 1.5-hour class (half-lecture, half-discussion) as well as a five-person, hour-long close-reading session led by me.* Bi-weekly writing & discussion sessions will also be scheduled with the TF. By the end of the course you will be able to pick up any poem and think, talk and write cogently and creatively about it. *{we will meet for the first class, Th 8/31; after that we’ll sign up to meet in small groups}
{William Blake’s illustration of Milton’s Paradise Lost; Wordsworth & Coleridge’s 1800 edition of Lyrical Ballads;
a page from Emily Dickinson’s herbarium; and covers of A.R. Ammons’ Garbage (1993), Monica Youn’s Blackacre (2016), & Rae Armantrout’s Entanglements (2017)}
TextbookscanbepurchasedneworusedattheHarvardCoop.Thefollowingarerequiredtexts:• Milton,ParadiseLost,3rdreviseded,GordonTeskey(WWNorton)• NortonAnthologyofEnglishLiterature,VolumeD:TheRomanticEra-9thEd
o (ParadiseLostandtheNortonAnthologyarebundledattheCoop)• MonicaYoun,Blackacre(Graywolf,2016)• DerekWalcott,TheBounty(FSG,1998)• A.R.Ammons,Garbage(Norton,1993)• RaeArmantrout,Entanglements(Wesleyan,2017)
Andthesearerecommended:• JamesLongenbach,TheArtofthePoeticLine-978-1555974886• JoannaKlink,ExcerptsfromaSecretProphecy(Penguin,2015)
TUESDAYSIwillframethepoemsforthatdaybeforemovingintoclosereadingsofthem;read
eachpoemacoupletimesbeforeclassTHURSDAYSwillbesmall-groupdiscussions–readeachpoemmorethanacoupletimesbefore
eachdiscussion
Schedule:(subject,ofcourse,tochange);readingsaretobecompletedbythedateslistedbelow.Week0:Th,8/31–IntroducingLyric&Narrative:samplesfromMarvell(“TheGarden”),Wordsworth(“TheBoyofWinander”),Clare“(TheFallenElm”),Dickinson,AmmonsandArmantrout
PartI.Ode&Elegy(firsttake)Week1:T,9/5:Keats:“SleepandPoetry”(1817),“OdetoPsyche,”“OdetoaNightingale,”“OdeonaGrecianUrn,”“OdeonMelancholy,”“ToAutumn,”“BrightStar,”“LaBelleDamesansMerci”(1819)Th,9/7:Small-GroupLyricMeetingw/me—Shelley,“MontBlanc”(1817)&Stevens,“TheIdeaofOrderatKeyWest”(1936)Week2:Monday:Meetingw/TFtodiscussmarked-upodepassageT,9/12—Milton:“OdeontheMorningofChrist’sNativity”(1629,45);ParadiseLost(1667),BooksI-IIITh,9/14:“Lycidas”(1637),ParadiseLost,BookIV
FIRSTEXPLICATIONOFANODEdueFriday,5pm
PartII.EpicWeek3:T,9/19—ParadiseLost:BooksV-VIII—memorizeacouplelines&listentoonebookTh,9/21—ParadiseLost,BookIX
ContemporaryInterludeIMonday,September25,5pm–MonicaYoun&JoannaKlink–StratisHaviarasReading-ThompsonRoom
[ReadYoun’sBlackacre(2016)andselectionsfromKlink’sExcerptsfromaSecretProphecy(2015)][[AttendanceRequired]]
Week4:T,9/26—ParadiseLost:BooksX,XI(ll.1-428),XII(ll.270-649);Pope,TheRapeoftheLock(1712);Swift,“DescriptionofaCityShower”(1710),“TheLady’sDressingRoom”(1732)Th,9/28—Pope,TheDunciadending(1743);MonicaYoun,Blackacre(2016);Klink,ExcerptsfromaSecretProphecy(2015)
Friday:Meetingw/TFtodiscusstwo-pagedraftofMidtermPaper
PartIV.LyricalBallads
Week5:T,10/3—Wordsworth,fromLyricalBallads,272-309,320-330(inNorton)Th,10/5—“TinternAbbey”(LB,1798):counttheWordsworths!
ContemporaryInterludeIIThursday,October5,5pm–FrankBidart–MorrisGrayReading–ThompsonRoom[[ReadselectionsfromWatchingtheSpringFestival(2009)-AttendanceRequired]]
MIDTERMPAPERDUE:Monday,10/9,5pm
PartV.Ode(secondtake)–Nature&theSupernatural
Week6:T,10/10–Barbauld,“AnInventoryoftheFurnitureinDr.Priestly’sStudy,”(1771),“ASummerEvening’sMediation”(1773);Coleridge:“TheEoleanHarp,”(1795),“KublaKhan”(1797-98),“ThisLime-treeBowerMyPrison”&“FrostatMidnight”(1800),“Dejection:anOde”(1802),“ThePainsofSleep”(1804),“ToWilliamWordsworth”(1807);Wordsworth:“Ode:IntimationsofImmortality”(1802)Th,10/12—Coleridge,Christabel(1799ish)
Meetingw/TFtodiscussMidtermPaper
PartVI.AutobiographicalNarrativeWeek7:T,10/17—Wordsworth,selectionsfromthePrelude(1805),pp.356-91Th,10/19—Wordsworth,ThePrelude(1805),pp.391-402
PartVII.LyricWeek8:T,10/24—Blake,AllReligionsAreOne,ThereIsNoNaturalReligion(1788),SongsofInnocence(1789);Blake,SongsofExperience(1794);TheMarriageofHeaven&Hell(1793),ASongofLiberty(1792),fromBlake’sNotebooks,“Anddidthosefeet”(1804-10),TwoLettersonSightandVision
HoughtonLibraryVisitTh,10/26—TheBookofThel(1789)Small-groupmeetingswithTFtodiscussdraftsofexplication#2
PartVIII.Odes&Elegies(thirdtake)Week9:T,10/31—Shelley:“StanzasWritteninDejection,NearNaples”(1818),“ToaSkylark,”“OdetotheWestWind,”“TheCloud”(1820),Adonais(1821)Th,11/2—Shelley,Alastor(1816)—leadusthroughaveryclosereadingoftenlinesofyourchoice
SECONDEXPLICATIONOFANODEorCONVERSATIONPOEMdueSunday,5pm
PartVII.Elegy&Monologue
Week10:T,11/7—Whitman,“SongofMyself”(1855),“CrossingBrooklynFerry”(1856),Whitman,“WhenLilacsLastintheDooryardBloom’d”(1864);Ginsberg,Howl(1956)-memorizeacouplelines
SmallGroupSectionsw/TF–Smith,BeachyHead(1806)
Th,11/9—Dickinson,340:“IfeltaFuneralinmyBrain”(1862);591:“IheardaFlybuzz”(1863);764:“MyLifehadstood–aLoadedGun”(1863)…plusothers…
PartVIII.LyricalNarrative&NarrativeLyricWeek11:T,11/16—T.S.Eliot,“TheLoveSongofJ.AlfredPrufrock,”TheWasteLand(1922),I-IITh,11/18—TheWasteLand,III-V—memorizeacouplelines
PartVII.Lyric(nthtake)–Couplets(revisited)&FreeVerseWeek12:T,11/21—Walcott,TheBounty(1998)Th,11/23—NoClass-ThanksgivingWeek13:T,11/28—Ammons,Garbage(1993)Th,11/30—Ammons,Garbage;Armantrout,Entanglements(2017)
ReadingPeriod:reviewsession(w/TF)&lyricpractice(w/me)TBD—PROSPECTUSFORFINALPAPERDUE
FinalPaper:Inadditiontothepoetryonthesyllabus,youmightalsoconsiderwritingaboutheavilyeditedpoemssuchas:Christabel(Coleridge);TheEveofSt.Agnes(Keats);TheTriumphofLife(Shelley)
12/8—FINALPAPERDUE TBD—In-ClassFINALEXAMAssignments:
• SpontaneousReadings:sixquickwritingassignments—aboutthatday’sreading,atthebeginningofclass—scatteredthroughouttheterm.We’llcountyourtopfive.5%
• TwoExplications1ofapoem(3pp):Acarefulreadingofwhatapoemsaysandhowitsaysit;10%each
• MidtermPaper(5pp):Aclosereadingofpoetryfromfirsthalfofthecourse;15%• FinalPaper(7-8pp):Acomparativeanalysisofdifferentpoemsorversionsofapoem(drafts,
manuscriptchanges,&c)fromthesecondhalfofthecourse;20%• FinalExam:asignificantpartoftheexamistiedtothelyricassignment(seep.6);20%• AttendanceandSectionsParticipation/Assignments:pleasenotetheimportancegivetothis20%
ReadingTips:
• Poetryhaslines.Itlooksdifferentthanprose,andshouldsoundandfeeldifferenttoo.Youthereforeneedtoreaditdifferently:moreslowly;forsoundandrhythmasmuchasformeaning.
• Youshouldreadeachpoemmorethanonce–eventhenarrativeones.Yourfirsttimethrough,justtrytogetafeelforrhythm,imagery,ideas,voice.Tryreadingitoutloud.
• Poetrymakesdifferentdemandsonyouthantherestoftheworldtypicallydoes.Itwilltakeawhiletoadjusttoreadingitintheterm,andeachtimeyousitdownwithapoemitwilltakeyoualittlewhilegetintoit.Readingforlongerperiodswithoutanydistractionisalmostalwaysmoreproductivethanreadinginshort,distractedbursts.
• Readwithapeninyourhand–markdownanythingyounotice.Ithelpsyouthink,andlateronitcanhelpyourememberwhatyouwerethinking.
1 Here’s a pretty good explanation of an explication: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/poetry-explications/
• Noonecantakeinand“understand”apoeminitsentirety,evenashortlyric.Breakitupintodigestiblechunks.
• Whenyou’rewritingaboutapoem,youshouldreaditfifteentotwentytimes—untilithasdissolvedintothedeeptissuesofyourconsciousness.
• Allreadings,asidefromParadiseLost,OurAndromeda,andLighthead,areintheNortonAnthologyofPoetry.Havingthetextbeforeyouinclassisparamount—adayw/othetextbookcountsasanabsence.
TheFinePrintAcademicHonesty:Plagiarismistheuseofanotherperson’sideasorwritingwithoutgivingthempropercredit.Itisextremelynaughty.Consequencesofplagiarismcanrangefromfailureonthepapertodismissalfromthecoursetoevenmoreseriousactions.YouareresponsibleforfamiliarizingyourselfwithHarvardFAS’spoliciesonAcademicHonesty,availablehere:http://webdocs.registrar.fas.harvard.edu/ugrad_handbook/current/chapter2/academic_dishonesty.htmlCollaboration:Youareabsolutelyencouragedtotalkwithotherstudentsaboutthecourseanditsreadings,andtoreadeachothers’work.Inindividualassignments(whichmayincludemidtermortermpapers,shortwritingassignments,homeworkorreadingquestionsandresponses,ortake-homeexams),academiccollaborationandexternalsourcesshouldbecited.Attendance:Yourattendanceinclassandinsectionsisvitaltoyourownsuccessaswellastothesuccessoftheclassasawhole.Iwillalloweachstudenta“free”absencetobeusedincaseofsickness,travel,etc:noexplanationnecessary.Missingmorethanoneclasswilldecreaseyourparticipationgrade,andexcessiveabsencecouldresultinfailingthecourse.Also,beinglatereallydisruptstheclass:2lates=1absence.Ifyouhaveattenuatingcircumstances,youmustcommunicatewithmeinatimelymannersothatwecandiscusshowtodealwithit.Computers,Tablets,Phones:No,noandno.NoGoogleGlassoriWatchesorExperimentalUSMilitaryAugmentedRealityContactLenseseither.Atleastnotinclass.Email:I’lluseourcourselistservtodistributeimportantinfothroughoutthesemester—fromemailingyouhandoutstoadjustingassignmentsanddeadlines.Youareresponsibleforcheckingyouremailonadailybasis.Ifyouhaveaquestionthatyouneedtoaskmebyemail,besuretogivemeatleast24hours,oryoumaynotgetaresponseuntilit'stoolate.Also,pleaseletmeknowifyou’dliketouseanon-Harvardemailaddress.Accommodationsforstudentswithdisabilities:“StudentsneedingacademicadjustmentsoraccommodationsbecauseofadocumenteddisabilitymustpresenttheirFacultyLetterfromtheAccessibleEducationOffice(AEO)andspeakwiththeprofessorbytheendofthesecondweekoftheterm,(9/13/2017).FailuretodosomayresultintheCourseHead'sinabilitytorespondinatimelymanner.Alldiscussionswillremainconfidential,althoughFacultyareinvitedtocontactAEOtodiscussappropriateimplementation.”
