SE2606: American Poetry after Modernism
| School | English Literature |
| Department Code | ENCAP |
| Module Code | SE2606 |
| External Subject Code | 100319 |
| Number of Credits | 20 |
| Level | L6 |
| Language of Delivery | English |
| Module Leader | Dr Joshua Robinson |
| Semester | Autumn Semester |
| Academic Year | 2024/5 |
Outline Description of Module
This module explores some of the key figures in experimental and avant-garde American poetry (including Beat and New York School poets, projectivism, L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E writing, conceptual poetry, cyberpoetry/Flarf) in relation to their poetic heritage of the modernist traditions of Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens and Gertrude Stein. Emphasis will be on the close reading of texts in conjunction with the historical and contemporary poetic contexts; on the growing interrelation between twentieth-century American writing of poetry and more critical essays on poetics by its practitioners; and on the changing relationships between poetry, politics and society, including with respect to gender, race and sexuality.
On completion of the module a student should be able to
- describe and analyse experimental and avant-garde American poems
- relate experimental and avant-garde American poetry to its contexts (whether these contexts be literary, including its relationship to modernist precursors, historical, socio-political and/or artistic)
- independently develop arguments that relate close observation and analysis to wider contexts
How the module will be delivered
This module will be delivered through a mixture of lectures and seminars.
Skills that will be practised and developed
Academic skills: This module will develop a wide range of skills, as students develop and enhance their ability to assimilate a variety of critical approaches to a range of literary and cultural texts. The close analysis of texts will call for sensitivity to the use of language, as well as visual and historical awareness. Essential critical skills developed during this module include critical thinking, the successful integration of theoretical material into an analysis of a text, and the formulation of concise, articulate and effective argumentation.
Employability skills: these include the ability to synthesise information, participate in group-based discussion, to negotiate different and conflicting standpoints, to communicate ideas and to produce clear, informed arguments in a professional manner. Formative exercises draw on peer feedback to create collaborative and student-led research, encouraging skills of information collation, selection and synthesis.
How the module will be assessed
The module will be assessed by a written portfolio, worth 100% of the module mark.
Assessment Breakdown
| Type | % | Title | Duration(hrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Assessment | 100 | Portfolio | N/A |
Syllabus content
Indicative Syllabus:
A week-by-week schedule will be provided at the beginning of the module, based on the key figures listed above, but with some possibility for students to inflect the module’s contents as they will build up an expertise in the topic.
Themes for study will include but are not limited to:
- the development of poetic technique
- poetic influence, tradition, response, critique
- relations between poetry and other art forms
- connections between aesthetics, politics and ethics, society and social critique