Week 1: The Materials of Poetry

Tuesday, August 20

• In class:
  • Introductions
  • Course overview
  • Poetry and Materiality
    • "Why I Am Not a Painter" by Frank O'Hara
    • "On Painting the Sistine Chapel" by Michaelangelo, trans. by Gail Mazur
    • "Strings" by Dan Waber
    • "Elegy for Three Astronauts" by Mary Ellen Solt
    • "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas
• Assignment:
  • Memorize a short poem, or a stanza from a poem in Singing School, Poetry Out Loud, or any other resource. Be prepared to recite it at the beginning of class on Thursday.
  • Read the first and third chapter in Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word

Thursday, August 22

• In class
  • Poetry recitation.
  • Discussion of Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word
  • "Beowulf" and Ballads
  • "10 Old Sayings We Need to Bring Back"
  • "27 Companies With Really Catchy Slogans and Taglines"
• Assignment:
  • Readings:
    • "Listening" in Singing School
    • "Meter" and "Prosody" in The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics
  • Writing:
    • Post an excerpt from a poem, song, or any language excerpt that you find pleasurably musical and write a short (1-2 paragraphs) description and discussion of what you like about it.
    • Post in our forum before class on Thursday, August 29.