Modernism in American Poetry I (E. Pound, T.S. Eliot, W.C. Williams)

elective courses

Classroom

Course for BA students.

Close readings of selected poems by Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot and William Carlos Williams, supplemented by lectures on their historical backgrounds and contexts. We begin with a brief overview of Modernism in the arts and sciences, then discuss "The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock" and compare it with earlier poems by Robinson and Longfellow, then pass on to Ezra Pound's early work, with an emphasis on Imagism. Then comes the Great War, which must be presented in some detail to contextualize "Hugh Selwyn Mauberley," as well as "The Waste Land." Five class meetings will be devoted to analyzing these two poems. Next, an overview of Pound's Cantos and close readings of two or three of them (e.g. I, XVII, XLV). We then pass on to Williams, discuss his aesthetic and ideological disagreements with Pound and, especially, Eliot, touch upon Objectivism, and spend the rest of the course analyzing six or seven poems by Williams.

Close readings of selected poems by Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot and William Carlos Williams, supplemented by lectures on their historical backgrounds and contexts. We begin with a brief overview of Modernism in the arts and sciences (Freud and Einstein were Modernists), discuss "The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock" and compare it with earlier poems by Robinson and Longfellow. We then pass on to Ezra Pound's early work, with an emphasis on Imagism. His interest in the Provencal, Italian, Greek, Latin and Chinese traditions, and his translations from these languages are the subject of the next class. Then comes the Great War, which must be presented in some detail to contextualize "Hugh Selwyn Mauberley," as well as "The Waste Land." Five class meetings will be devoted to analyzing these two poems. Next, an overview of Pound's Cantos and close readings of two or three of them (e.g. I, XVII, XLV). The "luminous detail" method and the ideogrammic method will be presented as the chief technical means Pound used to achieve some of his goals in the Cantos. Some consideration will be given to the juncture of politics and aesthetics in the Cantos, with the main emphasis on Pound's economic theories and their relation to his anti-Semitism. We then pass on to Williams, discuss his aesthetic and ideological disagreements with Pound and, especially, Eliot, touch upon Objectivism, and spend the rest of the course analyzing six or seven poems by Williams.

Ezra Pound: In a Station of the Metro; The River-Merchant's Wife;

Hugh Selwyn Mauberley; Cantos I, XVII, XLV;

T.S.Eliot: The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock; The Waste Land;

William Carlos Williams: Spring and All; To Elsie; The Red Wheelbarrow; This is Just to Say; The Dance; Pastoral.

A student will acquire advanced information about : Modernism in American Poetry I /E. Pound T. S. Eliot W. C. Williams/ and will develop his/her analytical skills.

Attendance and participation in class discussions; maximum number of absences: 3; fnal written exam (in the case of in-class teaching). Retake exam: written. The form and criteria of the final exam may change if the epidemiological situation so requires. Equivalent terms for determining final grades will then be established in accordance with University of Warsaw guidelines.