As the nineteenth century came to a close, the poets of Persia began to challenge the basic assumptions and techniques of their craft, initiating a literary movement that played a decisive role in the society and politics of modern Iran. This course offers a survey of the major figures, movements, and works of this era, spanning the long twentieth century and underscored by the revolutions of 1906 and 1979: we will encounter censorship and satire, suppression and rebellion, right-wing nationalism, the global Left, neo-Sufism, social symbolism, women’s liberation, revolutionary Islam, anti-/war poetry, and the traumas of exile. Through close readings of original texts, we will practice the analysis of poetry on formal, sonic, and semiotic levels, while additional readings in English will help us relate these works to their broader social and historical context, exploring the interplay of art and politics and its enduring consequences in the world we live in today. Along the way, we will learn the rules of Persian prosody, expand our vocabulary, consolidate our grammar, and improve our reading and speaking skills.

Intended Audience:

Students interested in modern Iran, modernist poetry, comparative literature, and social and political movements of the twentieth century.

Class Format:

Two 90-minute meetings weekly