American Poetry after World War II 3301-LA230
Close readings of selected poems by Gwendolyn Brooks, Elizabeth Bishop, John Berryman, Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsberg, Frank O'Hara, John Ashbery, Adrienne Rich, Amiri Baraka and Robert Creeley. The issues raised with each poem will be different, although some of the poems share more or less salient characteristics (for instance, O'Hara's "A Step away from Then" and "The Day Lady Died" are elegies, as are Bishop's "One Art" and "The End of March".) Some of the poets whose work we will discuss have been grouped under rubrics such as confessional, Beat, New York School, language, and while these categorizations remain valid, our concerns will be primarily formal, and only secondarily historical. Nonetheless, we shall not lose sight of the fact that the mother from Gwendolyn Brooks' eponymous poem lives in a black ghetto, that Henry's problems resemble Berryman's own, and that the lyrical "I" of O'Hara's poems is the poet himself. In other words, interpretative strategies will be selected for each poem individually.
Type of course
Mode
Learning outcomes
Students learn and master terminologies used in linguistics, applied linguistics, English-language literary theory and cultural studies;
acquires the awareness of cultural symbols and their role in the understanding of the products of culture such as literature, popular culture, visual arts;
learns to appreciate a diversity of opinions contained within assigned readings and presented during discussions, and to use them as a source of inspiration rather than a threat to his/her own system of values;
is capable of presenting the acquired knowledge in a logical and clear manner, both orally and in writing;
is aware of the social importance of his or her knowledge, work and abilities;
demonstrates tolerance towards otherness, respects different kinds of cultural behavior and differing individual outlooks.
Language acquisition at level B2+ minimum.
Assessment criteria
Attendance and participation in class discussions; maximum number of absences: 3; fnal written exam (in the case of in-class teaching). Retake exam: written. The form and criteria of the final exam may change if the epidemiological situation so requires. Equivalent terms for determining final grades will then be established in accordance with University of Warsaw guidelines.
Bibliography
Gwendolyn Brooks: The Mother; We Real Cool
Elizabeth Bishop: At the Fishhouses; One Art; The End of March; Florida
John Berryman: Dream Songs 4; 14
Robert Lowell: Skunk Hour
Sylvia Plath: Daddy; Morning Song; Blackberrying
Allen Ginsberg: Howl (excerpts); A Supermarket in California
Frank O'Hara: A Step Away from Them; The Day Lady Died
John Ashbery: And Ut Pictura Poesis Is Her Name
Ron Padgett: You Never Know; The Drink; The Poet as Immortal Bird; Voice
Amiri Baraka: Incident
Robert Creeley: I Know a Man
Adrienne Rich: The Burning iof Paper insteaqd of Children
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: