Poetry Analysis (Theory Course)

ניתוח שירה

Though some poems are very long, a poem is typically a fairly small piece of text that manages to achieve a great deal in spite of its brevity. There is thus an interesting disparity between poetry’s material minimalism and conceptual and perceptual magnitude. Why is it, or how is it, that a poem grabs us or asks for our attention in the ways that it does, if it does? This course will provide basic terminology and techniques for discussing, understanding and misunderstanding poetry’s modes of operation. Through readings of poems from classical and contemporary English and American poetry, we will study such subjects as imagery, meter, figurative language, speaker, and poetic sound. 

Readings: Texts will be provided on the course website. Students are expected to have the poems with them at all times in class.