Seminar: Modern American Poetry

Developing an understanding of the distinctive characteristics of the modern American poetic voice, members of the class will read and discuss numerous poems by the major modernist poets listed above. Recognizing points of comparison and contrast, we’ll be examining the poems carefully in terms of approaches to language, subject matter and forms of presentation. Class members will be required to write and turn in on time, as stipulated in the syllabus, some five analytical and descriptive papers of 750- to 1,000 words each. Particular topics will be provided when the papers are assigned. There will also be a final examination paper to be done at the required final examination time, listed below.

                Regular attendance is both expected and required. Unexcused absences and inattentiveness in class will affect one’s grade negatively. One should be prepared  each time for class discussion of the works assigned for the particular sessions. The papers, too, are expected to cover the assigned material with precision in terms of writing, pertinence in terms of subject matter, and  correctness in terms of mechanics and phrasing.  In regard to form we’ll be using the MLA style sheet. The papers will include two major concerns: responsible insight on the part of the writer of the paper and a demonstration of awareness of scholarly assessments associated with the poets whose work one discusses. Grades will be averaged, with added attention paid to improvement through the semester and the value of the student’s contribution to the class in regard to responsible class participation.

                The reading list follows. Note especially (but by no means exclusively) the works that are italicized; those are ones we’ll be dealing with most thoroughly. 

August  24: Introduction of major points of concern in regard to background, intended scope of the class, along with an explanation of why we’re beginning with works by Robert Frost.

31: Robert Frost: Mowing 17, The Demiurge’s 24-5, Mending Wall 33, The Death of the 34 ff,, Home  Burial 51 ff, After Apple-Picking, 68-9, The Road Not 105, An Old Man’s 108, The Oven Bird 119,  Birches 121, Putting In 123, “Out, Out--” 136, Fire and Ice 220, Dust of Snow 221, The Aim Was 22-3,       Stopping By 224, To Earthward 226, Once By 250,  Tree At 251, Acquainted With 255, West-Running Brook 257 ff, Two Tramps 275 ff, Desert Places 296, Design 302

Sept.         7: RF continued

                14: Walt Whitman: One’s Self 1, To Foreign 2, To Thee Old 2, Eidolons 4, Beginning 7, To The States 7, To A Certain 8, I Hear America 9, Still Though 10, Starting From 11, Song of Myself 22-78, To The Garden 78, From Pent-up 78, I Sing The Body 80, A Woman Waits 88, Ages And Ages 93, Once I Pass’d 95, Whoever You Are 99, Behold This 108, I Saw In Louisiana 108, Our Old 145, A Song 150; Out Of The Cradle 211-216, The World Below 222, When I Heard 230, I Sit And 232, The Dalliance 233, From Paumanok 240, Cavalry Crossing 254, By The Bivouac’s 255, Vigil Strange 257

                21: PAPER DUE; WW cont.: A Sight 259, The Wound-Dresser 261, Reconciliation 271, To A Certain 273, When Lilacs Last 276, There Was A Child 306, Miracles 326, What Am I 329, Passage To India 343 ff, Prayer of Columbus 351, Of Him 371, To A Locomotive 391, All Is Truth 394, Old War-Dreams 401, The Dying Veteran 436, The Unexpress’d 454

                28: Emily Dickinson: Note: The poems are listed as they are numbered in the book. 12, 35, 43,47, 49, 67, 103, 118, 123, 214, 230, 241, 248, 249, 254, 258, 280, 288, 303, 317, 324, 327, 333, 338, 363, 394, 435, 441, 442, 445, 449, 453, 465, 467, 493, 543, 593, 598, 632, 640, 656, 712, 716, 754, 790, 986, 1129, 1263, 1333, 1719, 1732

Oct.           5: ED cont.

                12 : PAPER DUE; T.S. Eliot: The Love Song 5-11, Preludes 12-15, The Waste Land 32 ff

                19: TSE cont.: Ash Wednesday

                26:  PAPER DUE; TSE cont.: plus possible catchup

Nov.         2: William Carlos Williams: The Red Wheelbarrow 56; 3-12, Pastoral 15, Apology 16, Pastoral 17, Tract 18 ff, El Hombre 20, Dedication 25-6, Overture 29-30, To Waken 31, Arrival 32, The Widow’s 34, The Great Figure 36, Spring and All 3l, The Rose 44-5, The Right 49-50, To Elsie 53-5, At The Ball Game 57-8, The Sun Bathers 66, Poem 70, This Is 74, The Attic 73, The Sea Elephant 75-7, Death 78-9, The Botticellian 80-1, An Early Martyr 89, Flowers 91, The Locust Tree 93-4, To A Poor 97, The Raper 99, Proletarian 98, The Yachts 101-2, The Catholic Bells 103-4, The Term 125, The Sun 126-7, These 131-2, The Last Words 139-40, A Sort of Song 145, The Kermess 147, To Daphne 199-203, The Ivy Crown 213-15, The Sparrow 216-19, Asphodel 226 ff, Paterson 259-61, Sunday In The Park 273-292

                  9: PAPER DUE; WCW cont.

                16: Wallace Stevens: Earthy Anecdote 3, The Plot 6-7, Nuances 18, A High-Toned 59, The Emperor 64, Disillusionment 66, Sunday Morning 66, Anecdote 76, Peter Quince at the Clavier 89, Thirteen Ways 92, The Snow Man 9-10, Fabliau 23, Of The 57, Bantams 75-6, The Revolutionists Stop for Orangeade 102-3, The Idea of Order 128-30, Mozart 131-2, A Postcard 158-9, The Man With 165-84, Poetry 192-3, A Dish of Peaches 224, Of Modern Poetry 239-40, No Possum 293-4, The Poem That Took 512, Not Ideas But 534

                23: WS cont.

                30: PAPER DUE. Summing up with points of comparison and contrast in what we’ve dealt with throughout the semester.

Dec.          7: 8 – 10 p.m. Final examination , the paper to be written in class.