LIT 2030 Spring 2024 - Grenville

This is an introductory poetry course that aims to survey the evolution of the lyric poem from its classical origins through the beginning of the 20th century. As a foundation, we will look at the Greek and Roman origins of the lyric, reading Sappho, Catullus, Ovid, etc. and trace the evolution through the troubadours, and Italian Renaissance. From there, we will focus on the development of English poetics and theory, focusing on key literary figures, forms, and techniques. The historical survey of the lyric poem will be complimented by examples of contemporary poetry that engages, complicates, or responds to the forms and strategies of these earlier poems. The aim of the course is to acquaint students with the techniques of poetry writing alongside an exploration of the long memory of the genre.