A Controversy of Poets: for 11/09-11/11

Final Project

Final Project and Porfolio. READ THIS CAREFULLY.
On 12/16 your portfolio of poems and ten-page essay will be due. This should include:
a collection of ten finished poems; plus the written essay, which includes an analysis of six poems from books, including three written before 1960. Comment on the aspects of poetics in these works as they relate to your own poems.
The ten pages includes the discussion of published poems and of your own poems. You can divide it into two halves of around five+ pages each or mix them together. I suggest doing the latter.
--you should describe the process of revision, specifically referring to the revision of your poems;
--your discussion as a whole (including both the published poems and your own work) should focus on the aspects of poetics we've covered in class (many of which are also discussed in this blog):
***ways of unifying a poem: as a story, through the use of a "conceit" or motif, as a philosophical investigation; a record of thoughts; a speech-like monologue - or a mix of any of these styles
***use of line breaks to complicate or enhance the meaning of the language in free verse
***use of metrical feet, syllable-counting, and stresses in poetry, especially relating to the way the rhythm relates to the meaning of the language
***use of double or multiple meanings, "deep" or surrealistic imagery, "particulars" (named objects)
***use of sonic techniques like alliteration, assonance, and rhyme
***the relationship of abstract language to specific language
***the relationship of speech-like language to more formal (or written-style) writing
***poets' use of language that engages the senses - sight, hearing, kinesthesis (touch), smell
***the use of "objective" elements and more subjective, personal, or interior features in a poem
***the use of mythic elements and literary (or other) allusions

Think of the paper as a chance to i) show your familiarity with these basic concepts of poetics, all discussed in class; and ii) examine your own work. End the paper with a discussion of your goals and reflections on continued work in poetry.

If you don't understand any of the above concepts from class discussions be sure to ask me about them when you meet with me. You should arrange a meeting in class on 11/30, or as soon as possible. You should bring your poems plus the published poems you intend to use with you to the meeting.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

for 11/09-11/11

for 11/09: reading: all the readings are posted on Blackboard. Read and bring to class - the article about Louis Zukofsky; and the Objectivist poems by Rakosi, Niedecker, Oppen, Bunting. In your response summarize the objectivist style: how are its goals similar to other styles we've looked at? Be ready to talk about at least three poems in class; you should be able to assess how objectivism affects the experience and meaning of the poem.

for 11/09: poem: for Monday write and exchange a poem in a formal meter, either a "strong stress" system or iambic (not merely counting syllables).

for 11/11: Group One

A Controversy of Poets

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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

for 11/09-11/11

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