Contemporary American Poetry’s Angels and Outlaws:
Texts required:
Postmodern American Poetry,
The Autumn House Anthology of
Contemporary Poetry, and The Vintage
Book of Contemporary Poetry 2nd edition, plus a single-author collection of
contemporary poetry of your choice (published 2005-2009)
Basics to aid you in
passing the class:
·
Turn in each
assignment typed and on time. Late work does not receive credit.
·
Be well prepared to
deliver your presentation on its assigned date.
·
Attend class and be
on time. No “makeup quizzes.”
·
Do ALL the reading:
primary and secondary texts. This class is reading
intensive.
How your grade will
be assessed:
·
daily assignments,
quizzes, participation = 20%
·
midterm exam = 20%
·
research paper = 20%
·
professional review
= 10%
·
book presentation =
10%
·
final exam = 20%
Book review, due
Oct. 7:
You will
each choose a contemporary poet,
someone who has been writing and whose book has been published in the last five
years, 2005-2009. I’ll provide further information on writing professional
reviews, but do check out some good reviews at www.raintaxi.com or
www.nybooks.com/ to get a feel for what makes the review different
from a “book report” or a research paper.
1) read one of her or his recent poetry collections,
2) write a critical analysis of the writer’s work (1,000 words, minimum)
with a clear thesis statement (your
argument, your opinion supported by
your critical research), and
3) make a short presentation on the author and book to the class.
Research paper, due
Nov. 18:
This paper should be
6–10 pages in length, present an argument about contemporary poetry’s issues
(i.e. a researched inquiry with your opinion and its support—not a mere report
on facts found in a Google search), and cite/document information from at least
five secondary sources, at least three of which will be authoritative text in
print (book, national magazine, etc.). It’s acceptable if the article is online,
just so its primary location is in print. No personal-opinion resources such as
blogs, rants or rumors; although if you interview an author, that would be
scathingly impressive. All critical papers should be typed, doublespaced in a
traditional, 12-point font with 1-inch margins all around. A bibliography of
works cited (not consulted, but actually cited) is required and is not a part of
your page count.
The graduate-student
research papers will be a minimum of 10 pages in length and will be revised
toward possible publication.
Readings are due on the day they are listed. Have them read and be ready to discuss them that day.
Syllabus
(N = in Norton; V =
in Vintage; A = Autumn House. Read all
of the author’s selections, unless otherwise noted by a particular page number.
Read the entire poem even though it
is listed here by its first page only.)
Week 1
08/26: Introduction
to periods and issues
Week 2
9/02:
Foundations in the1920-40s: Roethke (V
40+), Bishop (V 25, 28, 34, 37, 38), Lowell (V 8, 9, 10, 12, 13
Confessionals: late
Lowell (V 18-21), Sexton (V 304+), Plath (V 368+)
Week 3
09/09: Beats: Corso
(N 208+), Kerouac (N 75+), Ginsberg (V 238-246; N 135, 136, 142, 143),
Ferlinghetti (N 42+), Ed Sanders (N 366+)
Week 4
09/16: Black
Mountain poets/Objectivists: Olson (V 73; N 3+), Creeley (V 231-233, N 143+),
Olson’s essay on Projective Verse in N pp. 613-621,
Levertov (V 178+, N 86), Dorn (N 195), and Levertov’s essay on Organic
Form in N pp. 628-633
Week 5
09/23: New York
School: Ashbery (V 274+ and N pp.177, 178, 180), O’Hara (V 204+ and N pp. 121,
124, 129), Koch (N 112 “Permanently”, 113 “Alive…”), Berrigan (N 280+), Schuyler
(V 170+, N 93), Harry Mathews (N 206 “Histoire”), Blackburn (N 155+)
Week 6
09/30: Deep
Imagists: Wakoski (N 342+, handout), Bly (handout), Merwin (V 256, 257 both,
258, 259), Kinnell (V 295+), Strand (V 381+), James Dickey (V 155-160 the 1st
3 poems)
Week 7
10/07:
Book review due.
Start presentations. Spanning
schools, but which?: Di Prima (N 273 both, 276 “Backyard”), Bukowski (N 56+)
Listen to two Bukowski poems “The Soldier, His Wife, and the Bum” and
“Fan Letter” (note that Henry Charles Bukowski’s alter ego/protagonist was named
Henry Chinaski) at
http://www.salon.com/audio/2000/10/05/bukowski/
Political activism:
Jones/Baraka (N 258+), Lorde (V 402 “Coal”), Wanda Coleman (N 475 both), Rich (V
345+ and handout), Jayne Cortez (N 335, 337)
Week 8
10/14:
Finish presentations. Midterm
exam.
Week 9
10/21: Philosophical
skepticism: Ammons (V 265+), Pinsky (V 453+), Gluck (V 503+), Haas (V 461+ &AH
112), Jorie Graham (V 549, 552)
Narrative imagists
(surreal quotidian): C.K. Williams (V 425+), Philip Levine (V 313&AH 202 both),
Paul Violi (N 436+), Billy Collins (AH 47-50, handout), Carolyn Forche
(handout), Marvin Bell (handout)
Week 10
10/28:
Poet Dan Guillory in class. We’ll go to his reading at 7:00 in Kent
Library.
Week 11
11/04: The Cosmopolitans and New Formalists: John Hollander (V 333), Anthony Hecht (V 165 “Peripeteia”), James Merrill (V 244, 248), Marilyn Hacker (V 483, handout), Gjertrud Schnackenberg (V 571+), Bernadette Mayer (N 468+)
American
Surrealists: Codrescu (N 480+), Silliman (N “from
Tjanting”), Simic (V 431+), Elaine
Equi (N 599) and Silliman’s essay “Of Theory, to Practice” in (N 660-663)
Week 12
11/11: Aleatory
Movement: Cage (N 18), MacLow (N 70, 71), Coolidge (N 369-372) and Coolidge’s
essay “Words” in N pp. 649-652
Week 13
Research paper is due.
11/18: Wendell Berry (AH 15+), Baron Wormser (AH 391+), Stephen Dunn (AH 77+),
Bridget Pegan Kelly (AH 170, 172), Jim Carroll (N 575+), David Trinidad (N
595+), Rita Dove (V 557, 558 &AH 68, 70 “Daystar”), Mary Oliver (V 409+), Amy
Gerstler (N 607 “BZZZ” and “Bitter Angel”), Li-Young Lee (AH 194+), Sharon Olds
(AH 272 “The Lumens,” handout),
Week 14
Thanksgiving. Read a
poem to your favorite turkey.
Week 15
12/02:
Very 21st-century: Denise Duhamel (AH 74, 75, handout), Bob Hicok
(AH 126+), Nick Flynn (AH 87+), Jane Mead (AH 239+), Tim Seibles (AH 320+),
Natasha Trethewey (AH 363+), Dean Young (AH 400+)
Week 16
12/09:
Next Generation, Emerging Poets (handout)
Finals Week:
Final exam on Dec. 16 at 6 pm