Reading Modernist Poetry

Catalog description

The period between 1880 and 1950, generally known as the age of Modernism, saw profound changes at every level of Western society, including politics, war, religion, and art. In this course, we will examine how various poets in Europe and beyond responded to and helped shape these changes through their art. Emphasis will be on reading for form as well as theme and socio-historical context, and on poetry as performance. Authors may include Yeats, H.D., Hughes, Rilke, Lasker-Schüler, Celan, Apollinaire, Césaire, Montale, Ungaretti, Blok, Akhmatova, Lorca, and Neruda. Knowledge of at least one non-English language highly recommended.