ELIT 11- Introduction to Poetry Fall 1998

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 8:30-9:20 AM

L34

Wallis Leslie, Instructor

Office F11L by appointment

Phone 408-864-5700 ex.5620

Why is it that a few lines of print floating in a sea of white space deserve the name of poetry&emdash;"queen of the arts"&emdash;"news that stays new"&emdash;"a spontaneous overflow of emotion"&emdash;"the most condensed form of verbal expression"?

The study of poetry leads us to the power and magic of language itself. Ancient Egyptians believed that unless they had the money to pay a priest to say the right words in the right order, their spirits would not be admitted to eternal life. The right words in the right order carry a power; they are the language of incantation, the spell, the charm, the song, the poem. Orpheus, fabled Greek, sang words of such power that the Furies listening in hell wept; the animals, trees, and stones and even the shade drew near to listen.

Listen, listen to the words of Victor Hernandez Cruz:

During the next twelve weeks, we will read and read poetry (out loud as much as possible) beginning with The Norton Introduction to Poetry where we can examine how poets from many countries and many times have used the tools and forms of poetry. Here we can also get a sense of the ideas that were influencing poets in the times they were writing. We will read widely enough to see how poets working within one tradition, the Romantic, for instance, differ from those in another and to see how poets grow dissatisfied with forms they no longer believe adequate to express their truths and seek to create new ones. We will see how poets work within and beyond the tradition of what poets have done in the past&emdash;how they "re-make it new" by bringing fresh insight or new technique to the subjects, forms, or work of previous poets. We will see how one generation of poets rejects as old and worn out patterns of rhyme, meter, and stanza only to have those forms taken up and redeployed as freshly wonderful by a future generation of poets.

And all the while the singing goes on. Century after century of song to enchant us.

Required Texts:

The Norton Introduction to Poetry, 4th ed. Paul J. Hunter.

The rich variety of poems in this edition and the explanation of poetic tools and forms will lay the groundwork for our understanding of what makes a given batch of words a poem and how the poetic tradition has changed through time.

The Philosopher's Club, Kim Addonizio

Poetry both gritty and celestial, Addonzio shows her grasp of formal and experimental poetic structures.

New and Selected Poems. Gary Soto

Poverty, the San Joaquin Valley, devotion, and ambition are the stuff that Soto's poetry is made on.

Attendance: Students are expected to attend class regularly, arriving on time, having read the material and prepared to discuss and write about the assigned readings. Much classroom work is done collaboratively, that is, working in pairs or small groups. The most sought after qualities in the current job market (although perhaps we lovers of poetry are not concerned with such mundane considerations) are the ability to find information, to work productively without supervision, and to work within a group. All these traits are fostered in a collaborative classroom. Thus, your punctuality and preparation are essential to your successful performance in this class.

Quizzes: Spot quizzes&emdash;no make-ups.

Tests: There will be a midterm and a final exam consisting of essay questions covering class work and assigned reading.

Group projects: An assortment of spontaneous exercises to experiment with the tools of poetry (such as, metaphor, irony, allusion, tone, rhyme, meter) and poetic forms (such as, sonnet, sestina, villanelle, haiku, blank verse) and projects requiring more time and planning (such as reports on poetic traditions and movements, (such as, Neo-classicism, Romanticism, Imagism, language poetry) or reports on specific poets.

Term Paper: An analytical and/or argumentative essay on a topic to be chosen by the student in conference with the instructor. The first draft of this essay will be written in class and stapled to the back of the typed, double-spaced, 4-5 page paper. The thesis will appear on the title page in addition to wherever else it is placed in the body of the paper.

Grades: Grades are based on points. Points are earned for the term paper (400), quizzes (10 each), midterm (100), final (200), group projects (10-20), and class participation (100). Points are subtracted for more than four absences (you will be marked absent if you arrive late or leave early) and for a late paper. A.....90% of possible points

B......80% of possible points

C......70% of possible points

D......60% of possible points

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