English 106 Syllabus
English 106: Introduction to Poetry
Spring 2005
Instructor: Marcus Slease
Office: McIver 20C
Office Hours: M,W 1-2 PM
Email- mdslease@uncg.edu
Objectives
English 106 is designed to introduce you to a wide range of poetry and issues in poetics. Poetry is often the most demanding of all the literary arts because it requires careful attention to language. All the senses are important when studying poetry, from aural and oral senses to visual. Poetry also requires rigorous critical thinking. In order to discuss the art of poetry, it is important to understand the elements of poetry such as line breaks, use of white space, metaphor, imagery, syntax, and diction. It is also important to consider how social and historic forces impact how literary texts are written and interpreted. We will read a number of poems from the 20th century, a few individual collections of poetry, and some essays on poetics. In addition to the reading, other course requirements include: participating in a class blog, discussing and responding critically to poems and essays on poetics, and writing four critical essays.
Texts:
Jerome Rothenberg and Pierre Joris (editors), Poems for the Millennium, University of California Press
Tony Tost, Invisible Bride, LSU Press
Harryette Mullen, Sleeping with the Dictionary, University of California Press
Lisa Jarnot, Ring of Fire, Salt Publishing
Essays:
You will write four short critical essays (3-4 pages). Your first essay consists of analyzing and applying some of the concerns of Modernism (Futurism, Dada etc.) to a poem or poems from Poems for the Millennium. You will also write a critical essay on each of the individual collections (Invisible Bride, Ring of Fire, and Sleeping with the Dictionary)
Readings:
As part of your participation grade, you are required to attend at least one poetry reading this semester. There is no better way to deepen your appreciation and understanding of poetry then to attend an actual reading. You must turn in a one-page response to the reading at the beginning of the subsequent class period.
Writing and Discussion
Since this class is centered on discussion, it is vital that you come to class prepared to participate. Make sure you have carefully read the assigned readings and are ready to ask questions and make comments. I have created an online blog with questions and links to articles and poetry. You must respond at least once a week to the issue or readings presented on the blog. These responses are informal, but they must clearly demonstrate critical thinking and close reading. The website for the blog is: www.introtopoetry.blogspot.com
Evaluation
Essay 1 (approx. 20%)
Essay 2 (approx. 20%)
Essay 3 (approx. 20%)
Essay 4 (approx. 20%)
Blog and class participation (approx. 20%)
Other Requirements
Attendance: It is imperative that you show up to class, both physically and mentally every class period. I realize emergencies may come up which prevent you from attending class. As a professional courtesy to the class, notify me via email as soon as you know you will be unable to attend class.
3 absences = highest grade b
4 absences = highest grade c
5 absences = highest grade c-
More than 5 absences = consider withdrawing or risk failing the class
Conferences: The purpose of conferences is to give you individual time to talk about your reading and writing with the instructor. Take charge of these conferences; they’re designed to address your needs. Bring your questions, ideas, and your draft to the conference.
Late work: If you do an assignment after the fact, the reason for doing it is often lost. As with any professional environment, if you miss class, the work is still due that day. Give it to me early or have someone drop it off for you. If an emergency arises, contact me as soon as possible, hopefully before class, to see if we can work out an arrangement.
General Information
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is intentionally or knowingly representing the words of another as one's own in any academic exercise. This is a SERIOUS offense punishable by failure or even expulsion from school. I will not tolerate any act of plagiarism in this course.
Class Schedule (subject to change)
I. Prologue and first gallery
M, Jan 10: intro
W Jan 12: read introduction to Poems for the Millennium and pages 19-26
F, Jan 14: read pages 26-36 in Poems for the Millennium
M, Jan 17: MLK Day. No School
W, Jan 19: read pages 27-47 in Poems for the Millennium
F, Jan 21: read Mallarme, Cavafy, and Wolfli (pages 53-87)
M, Jan 24: read Valery, Jarry, and Stein (pages 89-100)
W, Jan 26: read Jacob, Bely, Apollonaire (pages 112-119, 127, 128)
F, Jan 28: read Kafka, Loy, and Pessoa (pages 134-141, 147)
M, Jan 31: read Duchamp, Ungaretti, Reverdy (pages 173-183)
II. Futurism, Expressionism, Dada
W, Feb 2: read Marinetti (pg.196-210), Buzzi (pg.216-218), Palazzesci (pg.218-22)
F, Feb 4: read Prologue to Futurism II (pg. 220-222), Kamensky (pg.223), Khlebnikov (pg. 224-231), Mayakovsky (pg.238-251)
M, Feb 7: read prologue, Kandinsky (pg.263-268), Stramm (pg.271-273), Klee (pg. 273-277), Trakl (pg. 281-289)
W, Feb 9: read prologue, Tzara, Ball (pg. 289-306)
F, Feb 11: read Arp (pg. 310-315), Picabia (pg. 315-323). Schwitters (pg. 327-334), Breton and Soupault (339-341)
III. Surrealism, Objectivists, Negritude
M, Feb 14: read Prologue, Breton, Desnos (pg. 465-482)
W, Feb 16: read Peret, Desnos, Tzara ( pg. 488-499)
F, Feb 18: read Ernst and Artaud (pg. 506-521)
M, Feb 21: read Prologue, Pound, Williams, Zukofsky (pg. 525-536)
W, Feb 23: read Reznikoff, Rakosi, and Bunting (pg. 546-556)
F, Feb 25: read Prologue, Cesaire, Depestre, Senghor (pg. 559-570)
M, Feb 28: read Damas and Cesaire (pg. 570-582)
W, March 2: review
F, March 4: Essay # 1 Due
Spring Break. No School March 7th-11th
III. Selections from the Galleries
M, March 14: read Yeats (pg. 345), Stevens (pg.355), Joyce (pg. 357), Williams (pg. 360)
W, March 16: read Vallejo (pg. 400-406), Montale (441-446), Lorca (pg. 453-462)
F, March 18: read Akmatova (pg.585-593), MacDiarmid (pg. 596-599), Brecht (pg. 605-609)
M, March 21: read Michaux (pg.615-619), Ponge (pg.619-625), Riding (pg. 637-640)
W, March 23: read Hughes (pg.651-656), Neruda (pg. 673-679), Paz (pg. 728-730)
F, March 25: Spring Holiday. No Classes.
IV. Invisible Bride
M, March 28: Tony Tost’s Invisible Bride
W, March 30: Tony Tost’s Invisible Bride
F, April 1: Tony Tost’s Invisible Bride
M, April 4: Tony Tost’s Invisible Bride
W, April 6: ESSAY # 2 DUE
V. Sleeping with the Dictionary
F, April 8: Harryette Mullen’s Sleeping with the Dictionary
M, April 11: Harryette Mullen’s Sleeping with the Dictionary
W, April 13: Harryette Mullen’s Sleeping with the Dictionary
F, April 15: Harryette Mullen’s Sleeping with the Dictionary
M, April 18: Harryette Mullen’s Sleeping with the Dictionary
W, April 20: ESSAY # 3 DUE
VI. Ring of Fire
F, April 22: Lisa Jarnot’s Ring of Fire
M, April 25: Lisa Jarnot’s Ring of Fire
W, April 27: Lisa Jarnot’s Ring of Fire
F, April 29: Lisa Jarnot’s Ring of Fire
M, May 2: Last day of classes. ESSAY # 4 DUE
Spring 2005
Instructor: Marcus Slease
Office: McIver 20C
Office Hours: M,W 1-2 PM
Email- mdslease@uncg.edu
Objectives
English 106 is designed to introduce you to a wide range of poetry and issues in poetics. Poetry is often the most demanding of all the literary arts because it requires careful attention to language. All the senses are important when studying poetry, from aural and oral senses to visual. Poetry also requires rigorous critical thinking. In order to discuss the art of poetry, it is important to understand the elements of poetry such as line breaks, use of white space, metaphor, imagery, syntax, and diction. It is also important to consider how social and historic forces impact how literary texts are written and interpreted. We will read a number of poems from the 20th century, a few individual collections of poetry, and some essays on poetics. In addition to the reading, other course requirements include: participating in a class blog, discussing and responding critically to poems and essays on poetics, and writing four critical essays.
Texts:
Jerome Rothenberg and Pierre Joris (editors), Poems for the Millennium, University of California Press
Tony Tost, Invisible Bride, LSU Press
Harryette Mullen, Sleeping with the Dictionary, University of California Press
Lisa Jarnot, Ring of Fire, Salt Publishing
Essays:
You will write four short critical essays (3-4 pages). Your first essay consists of analyzing and applying some of the concerns of Modernism (Futurism, Dada etc.) to a poem or poems from Poems for the Millennium. You will also write a critical essay on each of the individual collections (Invisible Bride, Ring of Fire, and Sleeping with the Dictionary)
Readings:
As part of your participation grade, you are required to attend at least one poetry reading this semester. There is no better way to deepen your appreciation and understanding of poetry then to attend an actual reading. You must turn in a one-page response to the reading at the beginning of the subsequent class period.
Writing and Discussion
Since this class is centered on discussion, it is vital that you come to class prepared to participate. Make sure you have carefully read the assigned readings and are ready to ask questions and make comments. I have created an online blog with questions and links to articles and poetry. You must respond at least once a week to the issue or readings presented on the blog. These responses are informal, but they must clearly demonstrate critical thinking and close reading. The website for the blog is: www.introtopoetry.blogspot.com
Evaluation
Essay 1 (approx. 20%)
Essay 2 (approx. 20%)
Essay 3 (approx. 20%)
Essay 4 (approx. 20%)
Blog and class participation (approx. 20%)
Other Requirements
Attendance: It is imperative that you show up to class, both physically and mentally every class period. I realize emergencies may come up which prevent you from attending class. As a professional courtesy to the class, notify me via email as soon as you know you will be unable to attend class.
3 absences = highest grade b
4 absences = highest grade c
5 absences = highest grade c-
More than 5 absences = consider withdrawing or risk failing the class
Conferences: The purpose of conferences is to give you individual time to talk about your reading and writing with the instructor. Take charge of these conferences; they’re designed to address your needs. Bring your questions, ideas, and your draft to the conference.
Late work: If you do an assignment after the fact, the reason for doing it is often lost. As with any professional environment, if you miss class, the work is still due that day. Give it to me early or have someone drop it off for you. If an emergency arises, contact me as soon as possible, hopefully before class, to see if we can work out an arrangement.
General Information
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is intentionally or knowingly representing the words of another as one's own in any academic exercise. This is a SERIOUS offense punishable by failure or even expulsion from school. I will not tolerate any act of plagiarism in this course.
Class Schedule (subject to change)
I. Prologue and first gallery
M, Jan 10: intro
W Jan 12: read introduction to Poems for the Millennium and pages 19-26
F, Jan 14: read pages 26-36 in Poems for the Millennium
M, Jan 17: MLK Day. No School
W, Jan 19: read pages 27-47 in Poems for the Millennium
F, Jan 21: read Mallarme, Cavafy, and Wolfli (pages 53-87)
M, Jan 24: read Valery, Jarry, and Stein (pages 89-100)
W, Jan 26: read Jacob, Bely, Apollonaire (pages 112-119, 127, 128)
F, Jan 28: read Kafka, Loy, and Pessoa (pages 134-141, 147)
M, Jan 31: read Duchamp, Ungaretti, Reverdy (pages 173-183)
II. Futurism, Expressionism, Dada
W, Feb 2: read Marinetti (pg.196-210), Buzzi (pg.216-218), Palazzesci (pg.218-22)
F, Feb 4: read Prologue to Futurism II (pg. 220-222), Kamensky (pg.223), Khlebnikov (pg. 224-231), Mayakovsky (pg.238-251)
M, Feb 7: read prologue, Kandinsky (pg.263-268), Stramm (pg.271-273), Klee (pg. 273-277), Trakl (pg. 281-289)
W, Feb 9: read prologue, Tzara, Ball (pg. 289-306)
F, Feb 11: read Arp (pg. 310-315), Picabia (pg. 315-323). Schwitters (pg. 327-334), Breton and Soupault (339-341)
III. Surrealism, Objectivists, Negritude
M, Feb 14: read Prologue, Breton, Desnos (pg. 465-482)
W, Feb 16: read Peret, Desnos, Tzara ( pg. 488-499)
F, Feb 18: read Ernst and Artaud (pg. 506-521)
M, Feb 21: read Prologue, Pound, Williams, Zukofsky (pg. 525-536)
W, Feb 23: read Reznikoff, Rakosi, and Bunting (pg. 546-556)
F, Feb 25: read Prologue, Cesaire, Depestre, Senghor (pg. 559-570)
M, Feb 28: read Damas and Cesaire (pg. 570-582)
W, March 2: review
F, March 4: Essay # 1 Due
Spring Break. No School March 7th-11th
III. Selections from the Galleries
M, March 14: read Yeats (pg. 345), Stevens (pg.355), Joyce (pg. 357), Williams (pg. 360)
W, March 16: read Vallejo (pg. 400-406), Montale (441-446), Lorca (pg. 453-462)
F, March 18: read Akmatova (pg.585-593), MacDiarmid (pg. 596-599), Brecht (pg. 605-609)
M, March 21: read Michaux (pg.615-619), Ponge (pg.619-625), Riding (pg. 637-640)
W, March 23: read Hughes (pg.651-656), Neruda (pg. 673-679), Paz (pg. 728-730)
F, March 25: Spring Holiday. No Classes.
IV. Invisible Bride
M, March 28: Tony Tost’s Invisible Bride
W, March 30: Tony Tost’s Invisible Bride
F, April 1: Tony Tost’s Invisible Bride
M, April 4: Tony Tost’s Invisible Bride
W, April 6: ESSAY # 2 DUE
V. Sleeping with the Dictionary
F, April 8: Harryette Mullen’s Sleeping with the Dictionary
M, April 11: Harryette Mullen’s Sleeping with the Dictionary
W, April 13: Harryette Mullen’s Sleeping with the Dictionary
F, April 15: Harryette Mullen’s Sleeping with the Dictionary
M, April 18: Harryette Mullen’s Sleeping with the Dictionary
W, April 20: ESSAY # 3 DUE
VI. Ring of Fire
F, April 22: Lisa Jarnot’s Ring of Fire
M, April 25: Lisa Jarnot’s Ring of Fire
W, April 27: Lisa Jarnot’s Ring of Fire
F, April 29: Lisa Jarnot’s Ring of Fire
M, May 2: Last day of classes. ESSAY # 4 DUE
posted by marcus silcock at 6:10 AM
7 Comments:
Ideas i beleive are a string of words that come together to form a common goal or peice. You dont have to have an ending in mind when you start your rwitings sometimes the ending will just come out of the rest of the work. kind of like when you go into a store you dont have to know what you want before you go in... but by browsing and putting peicing of clothes together to see which ones go together the best you find what you were looking for. Describing is when yo have something in front of you and you tell all the details that you can see that make it up and list them or tell about them. Creating is started from nothing and through your imagination coming up with what ou think is the ideal or perfect object. (BREA CHENEY)
After reading A Throw of the Dice by Stephane Mellarme I must say that these words though beautiful and elegant really do not speak to any of my senses. As soon as I get a visualization or an idea from this poem my vision is immediatly conflicted by more words of such beauty and elegance. I can respect this poem and admire the authors artistic sense in the way this poem was written, however it doesn't speak to me, it doesn't make sense to me therefore it doesn't inspire me.
This is a different form of poetry that I am used to and to me this is an art form that is only within oneself rather than an artform that can trigger an emotion or a visualization to a general audience. To me this poem is like modern art. It's just a different way to look at words as modern art is a different way to look at objects. I respect this poem but at the same I ask my self "Why should I."(William Pinkerton)
Mallarme challenges my sense of poetry. I believe poetry as something flowing and structured. But that is exactly what Mallarme is attempting to do to his readers, make them challenge the structured and the norm. He writes in ways that the obvious is not stated, you have to read and understand the words in his poem not just have them told to you. Mallarme advocates obscurity in poetry because he wasn’t one to live by the rules. He wanted freedom in writing. Freedom to take chances and break away. The Throw of the Dice poem that we read is a perfect example. They use words like Never and chance. When he was alive critics of his work would say this style will NEVER work, but he took the chance anyway. He wants people to gamble, no one accomplishes anything without risk. Even though the chances may seem impossible there is always a chance.
When Mallarme said, “You don't make a poem with ideas, but with words", I think he meant that the reader comes up with the interpretation. The words you use in a poem is read differently by different eyes. You just put the words on paper and let the reader’s imagination take off. He didn’t want to do the thinking for the reader but let the reader do the thinking for themselves.
Dorothy Michael
I cannot contemplate the innovations/discoveries of Mallarme cuase I don't understand his work. I know poetry has a different meaning to everyone who reads it and re-reads it but I'm having a hard time finding any mean to Mallarme's work.
Krystle Caleb
I would have to agree with some of my fellow classmates.Mallarme is a true genuis. He knows how to express himself in a way that comes clear to his audience. The text is writen with thought, but he must express himself thowrolly (do not think is spelled correctly :() with his language throughout his text. People cannot read the writers thoughts and therefore he must only write his poetry with words to express himself. The power of poetry is in the language, and the thought is behind it. Therefore the language must be reviewed in order to understand the context and meaning that the poet is trying to get across! Wendy Pagoaga :)
I applaud Fernando Pessoa's use of poetry and his view of the world as a materialization rather than an idealist. Though he says he is not a materialist or a poet for that matter, I admire him for his appreciation of things that he sees. And not writing about things that could be. Most poets I hear or have read about talk are idealist and seem to long for something more and all that poetry begins to sound the same to me.
Also I'd like to say something about Mallarme as well. I've read some comments on the board and many you have quoted Mallarme to be a genius in his works. Genius, if you say so, I on the other hand feel that just bc he came out with a different way to look at words doesn't give him the title of genius. Words that are up to you to figure out what they mean? C'mon I think any joe shmoe could devise a poem like Mallarme. All you have to do is take a dictionary shuffle all the words in a hat and throw them on a piece of paper and wherever they fall you have your poem. While your at it randomly play with the font size of the words too. But it doesn't matter what your getting across bc it is upto the reader to find out the meaning in that. Like I said before I respect his different approach bc it does give you something to think about but I also find his poems to be constructed more upon laziness than genius.(William Pinkerton)
I read a couple of the “9 Light Poems” by Jackson Mac Low. When I first thought of what “light” meant to me, it symbolizes hope or clarity. Low takes this idea of light and shows how there are so many other type of light other than sunlight. The power of even just a “mustard-oil light” can mean a lot to those who notice it. His use of imagery is amazing. As I read the poem, I can almost see from his eyes the light he is talking about. I can see a bit of Gertrude Stein's work in his poetry also. He keeps repeating the word light over and over and it lands at different parts in the sentence. I also see a bit of juxtaposition in Low’s poem. He puts together words with light that might not necessarily be thought of in everyday life.
Low uses a bit of alliteration in this poem also. When read aloud you constantly hear the sound of the letters K, L and E. That use of alliteration also makes the poem seem like a song or a rhythm such as some of the readings we have heard in class. I can almost hear the beat or sounds that would be incorporated into a reading of this poem. This poem takes on a tone of hope and joy which goes back to the whole idea of light.
*~Shera Gadson~*
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