In this introductory poetry reading course (with a little writing involved), we will read and learn about several persistent, “famous,” canonical, “traditional” forms of poetry written in English – the sonnet, the sestina, hymn meter, haiku, for example – and a few newer forms borrowed or invented in the 19th, 20th, and 21st century by poets in the U.S. – the villanelle, the golden shovel, the blues poem, and the ghazal. Fair warning: this means reading a lot of old poems (1500s-1900s), but also more contemporary poems that try to make these forms fresh. Learning many of these poetic forms will necessitate learning a little bit about reading and writing in meter – the arranged rhythmic patterns that poets were expected to master as both readers and writers until about 1950. But fear not – inherited forms can be fun! In attending to poems through the lens of inherited forms, we will develop our skills as close readers and listeners of language and form, a skill transferable to literally *any profession*.

With the understanding that one way to learn to read poems really well is to try writing them, students will be asked to try their hand at writing in meter and inherited forms, too. Students will also recite poems from memory in class, do a series of low-stakes written poetry analysis exercises, building toward writing a close reading paper of about 5 pages. They will also take short midterm and final exam to be sure they are getting the basic concepts about forms and their histories down. No previous experience necessary!

Course readings will be provided in handouts or PDFS on Canvas by Professor White.

This course satisfies the following CURRENT English major/minor requirement: NOT APPLICABLE

This course satisfies the following NEW English major/minor requirement: Foundations & Methods 200-level, Time: Medieval/Early Modern, Time: 18th/19th Centuries, Time: Contemporary/Modern

Course Requirements:

The course requires active participation in discussions about how these forms contribute to or shape the poems we read in a small-class format. Students will be asked to try their hand at writing in meter and inherited forms, too! Students will recite poems from class from memory in class, do a series of low-stakes written poetry analysis exercises, building toward writing a close reading paper analyzing the form of poems of about 5 pages. They will also take a short midterm and final exam in class to be sure they are getting the basic concepts about forms and their histories down.

Intended Audience:

This course is for first and second-year students. It is open to undergraduates across all departments and programs, including LSA, the Honors Program, the Residential College, as well as students in music, theater, dance, art, and design, architecture, engineering, etc. No poetry experience is required.