Module description
Poetry stands apart from other uses of language and forms of discourse. Characteristically associated with the promise of greater beauty, intensity or significance, it evokes different responses and is appreciated according to different criteria than other forms of human expression. But what makes poetry “poetic”?
This module explores fundamental questions of literary criticism by tracing the historical development of ideals and understandings of poetic language in the European tradition, in both theory and practice, from antiquity to modernity. We will concentrate on key moments in the history of Western poetics: beginning with the foundations of thinking about poetry laid in classical antiquity, via medieval Christian ideas on how to read texts infinitely rich in meaning, through the contrasting visions of what counts as good poetry in the (neo-)classical and Romantic eras, to the innovations of avant-garde poets and their modern critics.
Each week pairs literary-critical texts with poetry that reflects or illustrates ideas formulated by critics and theorists, often from roughly the same period and in many cases allowing us to hear poets espousing their own aesthetic ideals. In discussing these pairings, we will mobilise the critical concepts and ideas we encounter to enrich our readings and interpretations of the poetry studied, and we will examine how literary theory and criticism stand in close dialogue with contemporary poetic practice and the broader cultural-historical context within which both are situated. At the same time, we will consider bigger themes, recurring tensions and emerging patterns that become visible through the historical perspective of this module: is poetic language a force of nature or a form of art? Does it follow rules that can be learned or is it a token of genius? Do poets have power over words or do words have power over poets? Is there something transcendental about the words of poetry? The module concludes with a collective self-experiment as we confront a question of crucial importance for comparatists: what happens when we read poetry in a language we do not understand?
Assessment details
Assessment: 1 x 3,000 word essay (100%)
Educational aims & objectives
This module aims at giving students a sound historical and conceptual footing to confront some fundamental questions of literary criticism: How do we know that what we are reading is poetry? How is the language of poetry different from ordinary language? Where does poetic language come from and what is it supposed to do? And what makes poetry "good" poetry? The diachronic and comparative perspective of the module, which traces the historical development of ideals and understandings of poetic language in the European tradition-in both theory and practice-from antiquity to modernity, will encourage students to make connections between a range of different positions variously assumed by poets and critics across different historical periods as well as to reflect critically on their own reading practice and criteria of evaluation. Each week pairs literary-critical texts with poetry that reflects or illustrates ideas formulated by critics and theorists, often from roughly the same period and in many cases featuring poets espousing their own aesthetic ideals. Students will examine how literary theory and criticism stand in close dialogue with poetic practice and will enrich their readings and interpretations of the poetry studied by conducting readings in the light of theoretical views they encounter.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate intellectual, transferable and practical skills appropriate to a Level 5 module and in particular will be able to:
- Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of key theories and concepts of Western poetics
- Recognise, analyse and manipulate conceptual frameworks for interpreting poetry in terms of their aesthetic, cultural and social underpinnings and premises
- Compare and contrast key examples from criticism and poetry across a broad historical spectrum
- Effectively discuss, examine and respond to debates surrounding key texts and ideas of poetics in the Western tradition in both oral and written form
- Generate independent literary-theoretical reflections and literary-critical readings informed by an analytical grasp of key concepts of poetics on an abstract level
Teaching pattern
One-hour lecture and one-hour seminar, weekly
Suggested reading list
The (inexpensive) Penguin edition of key texts of the first half of the module – Aristotle/Horace/Longinus, Classical Literary Criticism, trans. T. S. Dorsch (1965) – is recommended for purchase. All other set texts and readings can be downloaded from the digital course reader on the module’s KEATS page.
Good starting points for introductory reading in preparation for this module are W. Harmon Classic Writings on Poetry (New York: Columbia University Press, 2003) and W. Nowottny The Language Poets Use (London: Athlone, 1962).
All texts studied can be read in English translation but students are encouraged to read in the original wherever their language skills allow them to do so.