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English 116: INTRODUCTION TO POETRY section 09 Instructor: Dr. Amanda Louise Johnson – Please call me “Amanda” or “Dr. Johnson” Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday at 4 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Room: Calhoun Hall 320 Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Please email ahead of time to let me know you’re coming. DESCRIPTION: This class revisits the notions of formal analysis that bedeviled students of literature in high school, in order to investigate the relation of form and content in Anglophone (English-language) literature from the early modern (Renaissance) period to the early twentieth century. The class will note the innovations of poetic form, as well as the recurrence of classical forms in the modern and pre-modern eras. We will also be reading contemporary and modern analyses of poetry, in order to assess the cultural significance that has been attached to these forms in the process of canonization. Poetry as a genre has always existed in a dynamic relationship with other genres, such as the novel, and the class will also assess the interactions between poetry and prose. After assessing these questions for ourselves, we will also share our own research with each other. Paper Assignments:

You will write four formal papers over the course of the semester, the first being approximately 6 pages long. The subsequent papers will be longer—exactly how long depends upon your argument. These papers need to be written in Times New Roman, with a 12-point font size, and be double-spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides, and aligned to the left. You may consult EasyBib.com and use the MLA style to format your . You are expected to observe the rules of mechanics and grammatical usage, and you are expected to make sure that you catch any mistakes that your computer finds. For instance, Spellcheck recognizes both “from” and “form” as words, but “fomr” is not a word. “Fomr” should not appear anywhere in writing assignments that you turn into me. Of course, you should also read your papers over by yourself and make sure you are not using “form” in place of “from,” and vice versa.

On Writing:

We will be doing a series of in-class writing activities to help us think about, and perhaps improve, our writing process and skills of expression. Another useful tool outside of class is the Writing Studio, located at 117 Alumni Hall; I highly encourage you to take advantage of their services while composing and revising you papers. To set up an appointment with the Writing Studio, call (615)-343-2225 or e-mail them at writing.studio@vanderbilt.edu.

On Research:

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In this class, I will show you multiple times how to access valuable online resources that are available only to Vanderbilt students, and you will use these resources when finding articles for your last two essays. Additionally, Deborah Lilton is a subject librarian for literary and cultural studies at the Heard Library. She can be reached at deborah.lilton@vanderbilt.edu. Her study guides can be found at http://researchguides.library.vanderbilt.edu/profile.php?uid=9480. The following texts are required—make sure you get the right edition: William Blake, Songs of Innocence and Experience – ISBN 0192810898 Mary Shelley, Frankenstein – ISBN 0199537151 The following text is recommended: J.X. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, An Introduction to Poetry – ISBN 0205686125 The following texts will be provided on Oak: Readings from Paul Fussell, Poetic Meter Selections from Norton Anthology of Poetry Book I from Paradise Lost Alexander Pope, Essay on Criticism J. Paul Hunter, “Binarism and the Anglophone Couplet” Selections from the Complete Writings of Phillis Wheatley Selections from Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia Selections from Wordsworth and Coleridge’s Lyrical Ballads Percy Shelley’s “Mutability” poems Carol Levine, “Rhythms, Poetic and Political: the Case of Elizabeth Barrett Browning” Gerard Manley Hopkins, “Pied Beauty,” “The Windhover” T.S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men,” “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” Case study, “Eliot’s ‘Prufrock’ Assessment: First Paper 10% First Rewrite 10% Citation for second Paper 5% Second Paper 10% Second Rewrite 10% Poem pairing 5% Third paper 10% Verbal class participation 10% attendance will count (see “Expectations of Conduct” below) Written class participation 10% (writing peer reviews, etcetera) Final Presentation 10% Attendance December 2, 4, 9, and 11, specifically Library Card 5% Attendance:

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As a discussion-oriented course, the effectiveness of this class is dependent upon your regular attendance at class meetings, both for the benefit of the class as a whole and for your own personal development. I will allow you TWO unexcused absences over the course of the term – no questions asked. Whether you are sick or going to Disneyland, does not matter to me; in fact, I only need to see doctors’ notes after you have used up your two free absences. If you miss more than two classes, I will lower your overall grade by a half grade (e.g. from an A to an A-) for every additional unexcused absence. Class Participation: Class participation covers a range of related areas: regular attendance, promptness, completion of the day’s reading, and frequent participation in the day’s discussion. To this end, I ask that you arrive on time for class and participate in the discussion to the best of your ability. (As a rule of thumb, try to engage in conversation a minimum of once per class.) You may bring in laptops, tablets, kindles, and the like to read texts directly from the internet; however, the device you bring must be larger than a cellphone, so that I may see the screen and see that you are on-task. In any event, cellphones should be turned off during class. You are not permitted to record class proceedings with your electronic devices. You can, of course, also bring in paper copies of the required readings. You must also bring paper and writing utensils, such as pens or pencils, for in-class writing activities. Grading: If you have any questions about how your work has been graded, and you want to talk to me, you will have to wait at least 24 hours after I have handed back your work. If you feel you have a case for disputing a grade, you can, by all means, talk to me about it. Three arguments will not be accepted, however, under any circumstance:

“I tried really hard.” Everyone works hard at Vanderbilt. Everyone.

“I didn’t understand/I didn’t realize that/I didn’t know that you meant _____.” This argument will work only in the unlikely event that the entire class drastically misunderstands an assignment. Also, it behooves you to ask any questions you might have before you turn in your paper.

“I am a [your major]/I am on a scholarship and I need to get at least an A-.” I cannot assign grades according to your major or your funding status, any more than I could according to your height, gender, skin color, or other criteria that have nothing to do with the quality of your academic product. Here are some valid ways to dispute grades with your professors: “In the comments you said I neglected to do X…..but in fact, on page 4, I wrote ______.”

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“Your comments said I [did something that was wrong], but if you look on page 2, I didn’t do that.” Note: these two arguments are still not guaranteed to get you the grade that you want—but they will be heard. Below is the grading rubric: A—Excellent Provocative thesis statement, well argued Analysis goes far beyond class discussion, Innovative use of the text, risky and engaging Smooth and purposeful transitions B—Good, but uninspired Well-organized but mechanical Clear thesis, but not sophisticated or interesting Good use of textual evidence Shows some complex sentence structure Very few mechanical errors C—Average Meets minimum level of assignment, BUT Hazy or banal thesis statement OR Good thesis statement, but undeveloped Poor organization or structure, poor or nonexistent transitions Lacks complex sentence structure, poor mechanics If it looks like an assignment will earn anything less than a C (and it was turned in on time), we will discuss what to do about your assignment. PLEASE NOTE: If you turn in nothing at all, you get a ZERO for the assignment. If you turn in something and get an F, that is SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN A ZERO. Note: Papers will be due in my email inbox (amanda.l.johnson@vanderbilt.edu) by 11:59 p.m. of the due date. You have an opportunity for one free 24-hour extension for the semester, I’d hold onto it as long as possible to give breathing room. Late papers will be marked down by a half-letter grade for each day it is overdue. For instance, an otherwise-A paper that is one day overdue will earn an A-. An otherwise-A paper that is three days overdue will earn a B. Also important: as this is not a high school class, you are responsible for keeping track of your own grades and assignments. If you extremely late or completely neglect to turn in a paper, you will be notified of such when the grades for the assignment are dispensed. Late papers will not be accepted after December 6, 2014.

In case your computer breaks down, iPads and laptops are available for three-day loans from Central Library, the Divinity Library, Peabody Library, the Music Library, and the Science &

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Engineering Library. There are also computer labs in these libraries that you can use. Peabody and Science & Engineering have the most extensive library hours—they are open almost 24/7. Please consult the library website (www.library.vanderbilt.edu) for more information.

To back up your work against equipment failure, email crashes, and computer theft, you will be required to set up a Dropbox account if you do not already have one. I will send you an email invitation; please respond affirmatively to that email. Please check your spam folders if you do not see the invitation right away. READING SCHEDULE Unit One: Form – this unit reviews the terms of poetics and that influential form, the sonnet Thursday, August 21 Explanation of syllabus Tuesday, August 26 Readings from Paul Fussell, Poetic Meter and Poetic Form Thursday, August 28 Shakespeare’s sonnets, Claude McKay sonnets Unit Two: The argument of long poems – this unit will consider the special challenges of reading modern epic and verse essays, and also introduce contemporary secondary criticism Tuesday, September 2 Paradise Lost, Book I Thursday, September 4 Paradise Lost, Book I (freewrite) Tuesday, September 9 Essay on Criticism Thursday, September 11 Essay on Criticism (freewrite) Saturday, September 13 First Paper Due at 11:59 p.m. Take either Book I of Paradise Lost or Essay on Criticism and excise parts of it to create an “abridged” version of it. Provide a copy of the abridged poem as a PDF, along with a 6-8 page essay explaining how your expurgations serve the content of the poem, or highlight its technical merits. Tuesday, September 16 Hunter Essay, Peer-Review Thursday, September 18 Essay On Criticism, Hunter Class writes plan for improving paper Unit Three: Poets and Canonicity – this unit will consider how poetry circulated in an expanding empire, and how literary scholarship participates in authorizing certain subjects as possessing “genius” and as worthy of canonization Tuesday, September 23 Wheatley poems

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Thursday, September 25 Wheatley poems, TJ reading Saturday, September 27 First Rewrite Due at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, September 30 Wordsworth, Coleridge Poems Thursday, October 2 Preface, Lyrical Ballads Saturday, October 4 MLA Bibliography Citations Due at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, October 7 Rime of the Ancient Mariner Thursday, October 9 “Intentional Fallacy,” Hirsch Essay Saturday, October 11 Second Paper Due at 11:59 p.m. Essay Two: Take one poet—Wheatley, Wordsworth, or Coleridge—and analyze three of that poet’s works. Then, choose a secondary source (TJ, Hunter, or Hirsch) and write a 6-8 page essay that 1.) summarizes the secondary source 2.) close-reads the three poems and 3.) comes to a conclusion regarding the source’s claims and the poems in question Tuesday, October 14 In-class peer-review; Presentation: Wordsworth, Coleridge, Essays Fall Break October 16-17 Tuesday, October 21 Songs of Innocence and Experience; reverse-outline Thursday, October 23 Songs of Innocence and Experience; write plan for revision Saturday, October 25 Revised Draft Second Essay Due at 11:59 p.m. Unit Five: Nineteenth-Century Poetry and Prose – this unit will consider how the integration of poetry in prose works, which abounded in nineteenth-century fiction on both sides of the Atlantic, influenced the reception of the work. Tuesday, October 28 Frankenstein, Volume I Thursday, October 30 Frankenstein, Rime of the Ancient Mariner (again) Tuesday, November 4 Frankenstein, Volume II and III Thursday, November 6 Frankenstein, “Tintern Abbey,” Mutability Poems Unit Six: The New Forms of Modern Poetry – this unit will consider the formal innovations of Victorian and post-Victorian poetry Tuesday, November 11 Elizabeth Browning poems, Gerard Manley Hopkins sonnets Thursday, November 13 Carol Levine essay

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Rough Paper Third Paper Due 11:59 p.m. Sunday, November 16 Third paper: pick two poems—one assigned in class, one from a list I provide—and show how these poems are in conversation with each other, using your astute close reading skills! 6-8 pages. Tuesday, November 18 T.S. Eliot, “Hollow Men” and “Prufrock” Thursday, November 20 Case study, “Prufrock” Thanksgiving November 22-30 Tuesday, December 2 Presentations Thursday, December 4 Presentations Tuesday, December 9, 2014 Presentations Thursday, December 11, 2014 Presentations