01 MTH2 CAC 08182 GROGAN FH-B6
Modernist Poetry
This course takes as its subject the revolutions and renovations in poetry of the first half of the twentieth century that we now know as modernism. What was modern about modernism? How did poetry evolve and change—in form, subject, and politics—in this period? Can we read modernism as a global movement? What do we mean when we call modernist poetry ‘experimental’? We will begin the course with a refresher in the techniques and vocabulary required to read poetry well. Essays in poetics and world history will enrich our reading of primary texts, and students should come to this course willing to read and think about a good amount of challenging (and rewarding!) poetry each week. Writers under study may include Gertrude Stein, Marianne Moore, H.D., Aimé Césaire, William Carlos Williams, Sarojini Naidu, T.S. Eliot, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, Arun Kolatkar, Sagawa Chika, Kamau Brathwaite, and others. Assessment will likely be based on class participation, close reading exercises, and a final critical-creative project.
