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Syllabus, Class Description and Required Texts

Assignments:
February
March
April
May

Poems and Themes

Purpose of the Course.  The purpose of Great Poets is to introduce class members to a wealth of classical and modern poetry from around the world.  As you can see from the syllabus for each of the months, we will go through poems in a thematic way in order to facilitate class discussion about how these poems ask us to examine our own lives and live differently in the world.  

Class Activities.  The following are the main activities for our Great Poets class, although there will be some flexibility in shifting emphases so that activities remain meaningful and dynamic.   

Annotations.  Through frequent annotations of poems you read, you will begin to see how a poem can "grow on you," take on different shapes and meanings according to the events of your life, a deeper understanding of the variety of poetic perspectives within a single theme, knowledge about the poet's life and intellectual debates of his time.  You will be asked to bring in your annotated texts (e.g., A Book of Luminous Things) occasionally so that we can discuss your insights and possible future directions of your annotations.  

Journaling Before Class.  Many of you have written your reflections on course readings before class through journaling by E-mail  You will be able to read each others' reflections frequently on the works we cover by going to a special webpage --    http://employees.csbsju.edu/mthamert/honr_250_journaling_before_class.htm. -- or to the public folders for honors courses.  On the webpage you will also find information on how to create and post your entries.  Normally you will write a one-screen entry before each class, due before you go to bed the evening before class so that they can be posted for other class members to read before 11:20.  Occasionally you will be asked to respond to others' entries.  

In-Class Discussions.  Your thoughtful preparations ahead of time and volunteering  in class will provide for the most meaningful debates and group discoveries.  Often our most important ideas will come about through members' interactions and careful refinement of your perspectives and convictions.  Try to balance the clarity of your convictions with an intellectual flexibility which allows you to say, "Ï think I am going to change my mind on that issue!"  Attendance is important for the vitality of group interaction; more than two unexcused absences will affect your final grade for the course. 

Term Paper on a Poet.  At midterm you will be asked to write a five-page paper on a poet who has struck you as important or especially meaningful to you.   You will need to cite at least three of your favorite poems by this poet.  The purpose of this paper is to give you some depth in understanding a single poet and to provide you with a springboard for further research and reading on the poet later in life. In grading these presentations, I will focus on 1) Ideas and Content (originality, creativity and freshness of thought, use of relevant details, how your topic and argument hold your reader's attention); 2) Organization (Clear sense of beginning, ending, thesis and transitions) 3) Voice (your writing is marked by honesty, naturalness and personal commitment); and 4) Word Choice, Sentence Structure and Writing Conventions (Your writing is fluid and concise with few glaring errors of grammar and punctuation, spelling and usage). 

Two In-Class Presentations.  In the second half of the term you will be asked to present with two or three other students your research on one poet featured in The Vintage Book of Contemporary World Poetry, by J. D. McClatchy, Vintage Books, June 1996.   In May you will do a second presentation on a topic you agree upon with your small group and instructor.   

Poems By Heart.  Molly Peacock says that she has about a dozen poems which serve as her talismans for life. These poems have a complex existence within her, shedding light on the most perplexing aspects of the human condition.  Through learning several poems by heart, each from a different theme, you will begin to choose such talismans for your own life, poems which you can take with you and ponder for years to come. We will cover the following themes:  Poetry, Human Wildness, Nature, Family Relations, War and Holocaust, The Experience of Love and Sexuality, The Beauty of Things, The Moment, Identity and Voice, Rage, Grief, Non-Attachment, Epiphany, Death and the Afterlife. 

Final Exam.   For the final examination for this course you will be asked to a)  write from memory a line or two from each of the sixty poems we covered in class from the themes of Creativity and Poetry, Human Wildness, Family Relations, War and Holocaust  and several other poems of your choosing from the end of April and May -- from the class presentations and from your entries. b) write out in their entirety three talisman-poems you have learned by heart   c) print out a favorite entry of your own and prepare to write a commentary on why you felt it was effective -- or how you might argue with or add to that former position   d)  print out an entry of a classmate and prepare to write comments about why it was effective for you and how you might add further insights or questions  e) write on the topic, "What I wanted to accomplish in my term paper and why I feel my goal was important."  f)  write also on the topic, "what I wanted to accomplish in my two class presentations and why I feel these goals were important."  g) choose twelve of your favorite poems from the course and briefly write about why and how they have an impact on you.

 

Texts for the Course

1. Letters to a Young Poet (Classic Wisdom Collection) by Rainer Maria Rilke (April 1992) New World Library; ISBN: 0931432944
         A mentor of mine first introduced me to this little collection of letters by Rainer Maria Rilke when I was a junior in college, and it has been one of those books that I have read and re-read throughout my life, each time with a different kind of understanding.  Born in Prague, and having lived in Austria, Russia, Germany, France, and Switzerland, Rilke is said to be the greatest European poet of the 20th century. I think you will discover why in the reading of this book.

2. A Book of Luminous Things: by Czeslaw Milosz (April 1998) Harcourt Brace; ISBN: 0156005743 ;   

            Milosz is one of the finest living poets. Here he has assembled poems from the greatest poets of the world and of all eras and arranged them in thematic chapters, encouraging the reader to imagine the poets themselves talking with each other and with us about "The Secret of a Thing," "The Moment," "People among People," "Woman's Skin," and "Nonattachment" and "Epiphany." Milosz can be considered a poet and anthologist of penetrating insight. His introduction and brief comments to each poem are passionate and enlivening

3. How to Read a Poem--And Start a Poetry Circle by Molly Peacock (April 1999) Riverhead Books; ISBN: 1573221287
               As one reviewer at Amazon.com puts it, "Starting at her own childhood delight in the appearance and construction of words, Peacock moves on to detailed readings of her talismans the poems that are emblematic of the various emotions or stages of her life. She presents a selection of poets diverse in both style and period. From the soothing repetition of the late Jane Kenyons hymn-like "Let Evening Come," which she recommends as a spiritual tonic, to the unadorned free verse of Yusef Komunyakaas "My Fathers Loveletters," with which she examines her own family life, Peacock rarely falters as she reveals the nuances of language and meaning inherent in each writers work."  The final chapter of the book is dedicated to advocating that readers start poetry circles, and Peacock has fellow poets suggest their own talisman poems for readers use.

4. The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart by James Hillman (August 1993) Harperperennial Library; ISBN: 0060924209

                 This anthology is one of the most popular among students at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University.  Rag and Bone is a powerful collection of more than 400 deeply moving poems from renowned poets including Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Theodore Roethke, Rainer Maria Rilke, Marianne Moore, Thomas Wolfe, Czeslaw Milosz, and Henry David Thoreau.  Although the subtitle of the book, "Poems for Men" indicates one way the anthology can be appreciated, the original poets certainly wrote for both women and men.  Our discussion of these poems will give us an opportunity to explore gender assumptions in the process of reading and interpretation great poetry.

5. 99 Poems in Translation : An Anthology by Harold Pinter (March 1997) Grove Press; ISBN: 0802134890 ;

6. The Vintage Book of Contemporary World Poetry by J. D. McClatchy (June 1996) Vintage Books; ISBN: 0679741151 ;

7. How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry by Edward Hirsch (April 1, 1999) Harcourt Brace; ISBN: 0151004196 ;

Recommended Texts:

1. The Essential Rumi by Jelalludin Rumi Hardcover - 302 pages (October 1997) Book Sales; ISBN: 078580871X

2. Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon : Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda by Pablo Neruda (April 1998) HarperCollins (paper); ISBN: 0060928778

3. The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke by Rainer Maria Rilke. Stephen Mitchell (Translator), Paperback Reissue edition (March 1989) Vintage Books; ISBN: 0679722017

4. A Book of Women Poets from Antiquity to Now by Willis Barnstone (Editor), Aliki Barnstone (Editor),  Paperback Revised edition (May 1992) Schocken Books; ISBN: 0805206809