Syllabus

8:55 American Poetry Professor Ed Folsom

Fall 2010 MWF 8:30 206 EPB

The Texts: All are available at Prairie Lights Bookstore, 15 South Dubuque Street .

Anne Bradstreet, Works of Anne Bradstreet (Belknap/Harvard)

Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass (Original Edition) (Viking/Penguin)

Emily Dickinson, Final Harvest (Little, Brown)

William Carlos Williams, Selected Poems (New Directions)

Langston Hughes, Selected Poems (Random)

Adrienne Rich, Diving Into the Wrec k (Norton)

Yusef Komunyakaa, Neon Vernacular (Wesleyan)

At the end of the term, we may look at a few poems by several additional contemporary poets. You will also need a good dictionary--by that, I mean a large hardback, like the Merriam-Webster New Collegiate or the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language . These and other good dictionaries are available at Prairie Lights. Or, better yet, get used to using the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) on the Library's website; there's a link on our course webpage. There's also a link to both an 1828 and a 1913 Webster's dictionary, where you can find definitions that are closer to the connotations and denotations that Whitman, Dickinson, Williams, and Hughes would have known. And there's a link on the Dickinson resource page to a site called Emily Dickinson Lexicon that offers you searchable access to a mid-nineteenth-century Webster's dictionary.

The Professor: My office is 373 EPB . I'll be there after class Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:30 to 10:15, and I'll be glad to meet at other times by appointment. I'm usually available right after class for brief questions. My phone number is 335-0450 (with Voice Mail, in case I'm not in), and my e-mail address is: ed-folsom@uiowa.edu .

The Course: We will set out to do what American writers have always tried to do, define what is "American" about our poetry: what forms, concerns, obsessions, what images, myths, and stories, we as a nation find ourselves repeating in new ways. "American Poetry" is an odd phrase, containing a tension between an Old World concept of patterned tradition (poetry) and a New World concept of fresh beginnings and open forms ( America ). American poets, then, were both doomed and blessed to be hybrids, to exist on an artistic frontier where European form continually met New World formlessness. The creative tension that resulted produced new forms, American forms. The poets we will study will help us investigate some of these resultant forms. We will look at ways that various poets over several hundred years have constructed American identities in an evolving American language. Amazing hybrids are formed, as American Indian cultures and various ethnic cultures--from Asia, Africa, Europe , and elsewhere--merge and meld, creating a language that reflects and articulates American culture.

The Essays: You will write three relatively short essays (one of them, 2-3 typed, double-spaced pages, and two of them 4-5 typed, double-spaced pages). The first will be on Bradstreet and will come very soon. The second will be on Whitman or Dickinson, the third on either Williams or Hughes. You will have a chance to write on Rich and Komunyakaa on the final exam.

Each essay will be an original, intensive analysis of a single brief poem, a poem about which not much has been written. Your essay will be informed by your wide and careful reading in the work of the particular poet you are writing about. I will give you a list of poems for each poet from which you will choose the poem you want to write about. The aim here is to get you to discover the illumination that can occur when you come into contact--awake, intelligent, close contact--with the poems. You should begin with poems that are a mystery to you, poems that attract you because they are puzzling in their attraction, and then you should work your way to understanding. When you choose a poem to write about, read it over and over; memorize it (make it literally a part of you); get the rhythm in your mind; become obsessed with it; let the meaning emerge from the close contact you develop with the images, from an intimate encounter with the text. Your essay should be concise and original, emerging from the context of issues raised in class, from the context of your reading of lots of other poems by the same poet, from your context of reading other American poets. Any unacknowledged use of anyone's ideas other than your own (plagiarism) constitutes, of course, automatic failure for the course. The idea, after all, is to learn to trust your own insights, and to inform those insights by an intelligent awareness of the most useful contexts for each poem.

There will also be occasional one-page informal writing assignments that we'll use to generate class discussions.

The Exam: There will be a final examination; you will be given a series of poems (or parts of poems) by the various poets, and you will identify the poet who wrote each poem. Then you will write a paragraph about each poem explaining why you made the choice you did--what identifiable elements of form, subject, tone, etc., led you to make the choice you did. By the end of the exam, I hope you will experience satisfaction and illumination rather than simply exhaustion. The final exam for this class is scheduled for Wednesday, December 15, at 2:15 p.m.

The Quizzes: There will be occasional quizzes covering the reading: these will be straightforward, usually true/false, covering poets' biographies and the subject matter and style of their poems. These should be an easy part of your grade, simply assuring that everyone is keeping up with the reading and thus prepared for class discussions.

The Memorizations: By midterm you will have memorized at least 20 lines from one of the poems we are studying; by the end of the semester, you will have memorized another 20 lines by a different poet. Poems don't really begin to do their work until they get inside your head, until they emerge in your voice: there is no better way to possess a poem and to be possessed by it than by memorizing it. The only rules here are that the poems must be in the books we are reading; they must be at least twenty lines, but you need to memorize a whole poem (if the poem is 22 lines, you can't stop at 20--you need to memorize the extra two lines as well). And one final caution: memorizing Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" is not allowed!

I hope you keep these poems in your head the rest of your life. Keep repeating them occasionally after you have memorized them. When you do you second memorization, I will ask you to recite the first poem too.

The Class (and Attendance): I want to challenge you to do your best work. You are taking a class, not just writing papers and reading poems. The classroom experience can be vitalizing, but we all have to work at it. An occasional absence is your business, but frequent or sustained absences prevent you from becoming an organic, functioning part of the class. Class attendance is expected, vital, necessary. What you say in class, ways you help energize the class with your presence and participation, seem to me as important a factor in arriving at a final grade as the work you do on paper. If you miss more than two classes (the equivalent of one full week of class) without an approved excuse, your course grade will be lowered by half a grade.

The Course Website: http://www.uiowa.edu/~c008055. On this website, you will find all materials handed out in class, daily assignments, paper assignments, additional resources for each of the poets we study (including bibliographies and links to other websites where you can find out a great deal of information about the poets), some general guidelines for writing papers about poetry, definitions of poetic terms, a searchable 1913 dictionary (where you can find definitions that some of the earlier poets would have known), and so on. Check the website frequently, and make the resources page one of the first places you go to find information on the poets we are studying.

The Schedule: To begin, be sure to read and re-read the five poems at the bottom of this page. Also, read carefully the two introductory essays in the Bradstreet book--Adrienne Rich's "Anne Bradstreet and Her Poetry," and Jeannine Hensley's "Anne Bradstreet's Wreath of Thyme." Rich's essay will become a valuable measure for us of the shifts and movements of American poetry; it is an essay you will want to come back to and read again after we study Rich's poetry. Hensley's essay will give you background on Bradstreet's life and times, and discusses the odd publication history of her poems.

After reading the introductions, read carefully "Contemplations" on pp. 220-230 and the poems on pp. 238-261, and the letter to Bradstreet's children on pp. 262-267, and the poem on the burning of her house, pp. 318-320. By the end of next week, read all the poems and prose meditations on pp. 268-317 and 191-237 (this includes "Contemplations," which you've already read). And read at least one of her "quaternions"--"The Four Seasons of the Year," pp. 69-77, is the briefest. PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE PAGE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN REVISED TO CORRESPOND TO THE NEW EDITION THAT IS AVAILABLE AT PRAIRIE LIGHTS BOOKSTORE.

Here is a schedule of discussion of the winter poems and the Bradstreet poems; always be sure to reread the poems we will be discussing the night before the discussion:

M Aug 23: Introduction and discussion of William Wantling's "Poetry" and winter poems by Gary Snyder, Robert Frost,Wallace Stevens, and Emily Dickinson. (Poems are available below.)

W Aug 25: Continuation of discussion of winter poems.

F Aug 27: Bradstreet, 3 poems on the deaths of her grandchildren, pp. 235-237; poem on the "Burning of Our House," pp. 192-193.

M Aug 30: "Burning of Our House."

W Sep 1: "Contemplations," pp. 204-214, and "The Author to Her Book," p. 221.

F Sep 3: Film on Whitman

We will be studying the poets in the order they appear in the list of texts. We'll spend a little over two weeks on each poet, a little more on the earlier ones and a little less on the later ones. This means the schedule will be something like this:

M Sep 6: Labor Day; no class.

W Sep 8: Whitman film.

F Sep 10-W Sep 22 Whitman

F Sep 24-W Oct 13: Dickinson

F Oct 15-F Oct 29: Williams

M Nov 1-W Nov 17: Hughes

F Nov 19-M Nov 29: Rich

W Dec 1-F Dec 10: Komuyakaa

W Dec 15: Final Exam, 2:15.

Grading: Your final grade will be based on a balance between seven units: (1) the essays form three units; (2) the final exam forms one unit; (3) the memorizations form one unit; (4) the quizzes form one unit; (5) class participation, including informal writing assignments and memorizations, forms one unit. You must do passable work in all areas of the course to earn a passing grade for the course. I use plus/minus grading, both for individual assignments and for course grades.

Time Expectation: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences wants me to remind you that this is a three-hour course and that the general expectation for time you spend outside the course for reading, writing, and course preparation should be around six hours per week. This will vary from student to student, of course, but that's the general guideline, and I'll be making assignments with that guideline in mind. Remember that “reading” a poem does not mean reading through a poem quickly and moving on; it means reading slowly, out loud, listening to it, re-reading, marking up the text, looking up words, and thinking about how this particular web of language works. It's easy (and healthy) to spend an hour on a very brief poem; even then, you are only beginning to come to grips with it.

Electronic Communication: University policy specifies that students are responsible for all official correspondences sent to their standard University of Iowa e-mail address (@uiowa.edu). Students should check their university email account frequently.

Academic Fraud ( College of Liberal Arts Policy Statement ): Plagiarism and any other activities when students present work that is not their own are academic fraud and are considered by the College to be a very serious matter. Academic fraud is reported by the instructor to the departmental DEO who enforces the departmental consequences. The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum is also informed. The Associate Dean enforces collegiate consequences which may included suspension or expulsion.

Writing Center: The Writing Center, on the first floor of EPB (room 110), offers twice-a-week tutoring, appointments, and online tutoring at 4 different locations on campus. Please see the Center's home page for more information about services and programs: www.uiowa.edu/~writingc. Don't hesitate to take advantage of this service if you experience any problems with writing assignments.

Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability that may require some modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements, please let me know so that we can make appropriate arrangements. See me after class or during my office hours. It is the student's responsibility to contact Student Disability Services (SDS), 3100 Burge Hall (335-1462), and obtain a Student Academic Accommodation Request form ( SAAR ). This form specifies what course accommodations are judged reasonable for a given student. If I can't provide those accommodations, I will contact the SDS counselor within 48 hours of receiving the form.

Understanding Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. All members of the UI community have a responsibility to uphold this mission and to contribute to a safe environment that enhances learning. Incidents of sexual harassment should be reported immediately. See the UI Comprehensive Guide on Sexual Harassment at www.uiowa.edu/~eod/policies/sexual-harassment-guide/index.html for assistance, definitions, and the full University policy.

Reacting Safely to Severe Weather: In severe weather, the class members should seek shelter in the innermost part of the building, if possible at the lowest level, staying clear of windows and free-standing expanses. The class will continue if possible when the event is over. (Operations Manual, IV.16.14 . Scroll down to sections e and i for severe weather information.)

Other Concerns: If you have general concerns, problems, or complaints about the class, please come talk to me so that we can try to resolve things. If you are not satisfied with the resolution, you may make an appointment to discuss your concern with Professor Lori Branch, director of the undergraduate program, in 308 EPB (lori-branch@uiowa.edu, 335-0472) . Appeals of Professor Branch's decisions go to Professor Claire Sponsler, chair of the English Department (claire-sponsler@uiowa.edu, 335-0454), and then to the College of Liberal Arts Academic Programs Office, 120 Schaeffer Hall (335-2633). The full policy covering student complaint procedures and other academic concerns is available in the Student Academic Handbook, available online at: http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook/. This course is offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This means that class policies on matters such as requirements, grading, and sanctions for academic dishonesty are governed by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students wishing to add or drop this course after the official deadline must receive the approval of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

POEMS TO READ IMMEDIATELY:

PINE TREE TOPS

in the blue night
frost haze, the sky glows
with the moon
pine tree tops
bend snow-blue, fade
into sky, frost, starlight.
the creak of boots.
rabbit tracks, deer tracks,
what do we know.

--Gary Snyder

[Here's one prose paraphrase of the poem: "In the blue night there's frost and haze. The sky glows with the moon, and snow-blue pine tree tops bend and fade into the sky, frost, and starlight. I hear the creak of boots. There are rabbit tracks, deer tracks. What do we know?" How is this different from the poem itself?]

STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

--Robert Frost

THE SNOW MAN

One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,

Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.

--Wallace Stevens

#1252

Like Brooms of Steel
The Snow and Wind
Had swept the Winter Street--
The House was hooked
The Sun sent out
Faint Deputies of Heat--
Where rode the Bird
The Silence tied
His ample--plodding Steed
The Apple in the Cellar snug
Was all the one that played.

--Emily Dickinson

POETRY

I've got to be honest. I can
make good word music and rhyme

at the right times and fit words
together to give people pleasure

and even sometimes take their
breath away--but it always

somehow turns out kind of phoney.
Consonance and assonance and inner

rhyme won't make up for the fact
that I can't figure out how to get

down on paper the real or the true
which we call Life. Like the other

day. The other day I was walking
on the lower exercise yard here

at San Quentin and this cat called
Turk came up to a friend of mine

and said Ernie, I hear you're
shooting on my kid. And Ernie

told him So what, punk? And Turk
pulled out his stuff and shanked

Ernie in the gut only Ernie had a
metal tray in his shirt. Turk's

shank bounced right off him and
Ernie pulled his stuff out and of

course Turk didn't have a tray and
caught it dead in the chest, a bad

one, and the blood that came to his
lips was a bright pink, lung blood,

and he just laid down in the grass
and said Shit. Fuck it. Sheeit.

Fuck it. And he laughed a soft long
laugh, 5 minutes, then died. Now

what could consonance or assonance or
even rhyme do with something like that?

--William Wantling