Course Information
Instructor Dr. Catherine Coussens
Course description
The twentieth century was a time of drastic transformation in Britain, which experienced two traumatic world wars, the rise of the labour movement, the disintegration of the Empire, challenges to traditional class and gender roles and gradual collapse of cultural and political consensus.
We will explore some of the connections between early twentieth-century English poetry and society, history and culture. We will focus on key poets, poems and historical contexts as well as issues of language, style and form and the relation of poems and poets to larger poetic schools (such as Imagism, Modernism and The Movement). Topics covered will include: national identity, gender identity, women’s poetry, war poetry, Modernism, Welsh, Irish, Scottish and regional poetry, ethnicity, class and politics. I have deliberately tried to include non-canonical poets and popular poetic traditions as well as studies of better-known poets. We will explore a wide range of poetry during the course while students’ assignments will deal in more depth with specific topics or poet. We will also use film, news reports, essays and journals to support understanding of the poetry.
Course objectives
· To introduce students to a range of twentieth-century English poetry, essays and criticism expressing diverse cultural and national perspectives
· To consider the relationship between historical and cultural phenomena and poetic production in specific periods
· To practise close reading, oral presentation and literary analysis through class work and oral and written assignments
Course texts
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume 2 (8th edition)
Peter Childs, The Twentieth Century in Poetry: A Critical Survey (Routledge, 1999)
Course requirements and assessment
Students will complete worksheets and other reading tasks in class to assist their understanding of the poetry. All students will give an oral presentation, focusing on a particular topic, and including an analysis of a particular poem. Students must attend regularly to pass the course.
Research/presentation (20%)
Midterm examination (20%)
Final examination (60%)