Readings in Genre (211-0-20)
Topic
What is Lyric Poetry?
Instructors
Clare A Cavanagh
847/467-2360
1880 Campus Dr. (Kresge) Office 3222
Office Hours: Wednesdays 2-3pm
Meeting Info
555 Clark B03: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM
Overview of class
What is lyric poetry? What are its roots, and what are its possibilities today? How does it stand in relation to the countless other varieties of rhymed and/or rhythmic language—hymns, pop songs, advertising slogans, campaign mottoes, bumper stickers, and so on—that surround us in our daily life? How does it represent and respond to the world around us and its many histories? We will explore these and other questions by way of examining lyrics past and present, in multiple traditions, from psalms and hymns to epitaphs, elegies, songs, and love poems, both in English originals and in translation. We will pay particular attention to the meanings of poetic form, the nature of poetic translation, and the social and cultural functions of lyric poems.
Learning Objectives
1. Familiarity with the major genres of lyric poetry
2. Understanding the shifting relationship between lyric poetry and other genres, with particular attention to song.
3. Mastery of skills and terminology involved in close analysis of individual poems.
4. Awareness of shifting public and private functions of lyric poems across cultures, and of the role of translation in poetic transmission.
5. Ability to construct a concise, effective argument based on textual evidence.
Class Materials (Required)
Helen Vendler, Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology. Third Edition. (2021) ISBN: 978-0312463199
Class Attributes
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area