ATS3506 - Poetry: Text and performance - 2019

The aim of the unit will be to demystify poetry and its workings for the students who take it, and in this way to increase their understanding and enjoyment of the medium. The unit will explore some of the traditional concepts and problems of poetics, specifically in the area of the functioning of poetic language and the relation between poetic text and performance. It will include study of the following areas of interest: stylistic analysis of poetry; sound-patterning and its affective and iconic potential; metre and other kinds of rhythmic form; poetic diction; the functioning of metaphor, metonymy and other forms of figurative language; the performance of poetry.

Students successfully completing this subject should have developed:

1. Some understanding of the traditional concepts and problems of poetics, specifically in the area of the functioning of poetic language and the relation between poetic text and performance.
2. Competence in a variety of interpretive strategies.
3. A broad acquaintance with a wide range of poetic genres and styles.
4. A general understanding of the historical development of English poetry.
5. The capacity to meet the general learning objectives of the department.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Literary studies