ENGL6389 - Fall 2002
TT 7:05-9:45 (Poetry
Alcove, MB 4th) |
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| This course will focus on the work of Louis Zukofsky, George Oppen, Lorine Niedecker, Charles Reznikoff, and Basil Bunting--poets whose work has been categorized as Objectivist by literary history. Influenced by Pound and Williams, this "group" of writers nearly became a footnote to Imagism until a resurgence of interest stimulated by poet-critics influenced by their work in the 1970s. We will explore Objectivist poetics, reflecting on whether there are common principles shared between the five poets by looking first at the "Objectivist" issue of Poetry (Chicago) from which the identifying adjective emerged. As we read the primary texts of these poets, we will draw upon companion essays in The Objectivist Nexus, which will stimulate us to think about the poets' relation to the cultural moment and the reception of their work. An important component of the course will be additional critical readings on such topics as the "canon," "representation," "culture," and "influence." These will stimulate further questions relevant to these poets but also to literary study in general: What constitutes a literary movement? What kinds of authorial performances lend themselves to canonization? How might literary criticism evaluate formally innovative or indeterminate texts? The aim will be to facilitate a meta-critical discussion that deepens students' appreciation for this group of poets but also contributes directly to their overall development of graduate-level critical skills. Conducted in a seminar format, the course will require students to do independent research and participate in the "teaching" of the class. A final seminar paper will culminate a sequence of research, short-essay, and response-writing assignments. | ||||||
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