The purpose of this course is to enrich our understanding of the issues in poetics that have most influenced critical discussion of the art of poetry from the 18th century until now, though our emphasis will fall on recent debates. Most of our reading is taken from poet-critics of the 20th century. I have organized a very diverse group of readings into nine categories. Although many of the texts might fit well into more than one category, I mean to focus class discussions on these broad categories of poetics--the authority of poetry (as distinguished from prose), feeling in poetry, thought in poetry, its forms and stylistic features, etc, and then finally on the evaluative criticism of poems. We will discuss the texts in relation to these large topics. Our discussions will not be primarily historical; we will try to approach each author as an explainer of the living art of poetry that we know now.

Each member of the course will give one or two presentations (about ten minutes in length) to orient class discussion, and those taking the course for a grade will be expected as well to write a paper of 15-20 pp. on a topic to be developed in conference with me.

Readings are taken from a course packet that can be purchased in Classics 10, and from Reginald Gibbons, ed., The Poet's Work;
Allen Grossman, The Sighted Singer