English 440 - Lyric Claims from Early Modern to Modern

What does it mean for poets and readers to inhabit the “I” of the lyric poem, especially for those at the margins of a literary culture that has historically centered white male patriarchy? How has that meaning changed over time, from the personal and the political lenses of gender, race, and class? In this seminar, we will study how that question has been composed and answered by British and American women poets from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Each seminar session will focus on a single poet–possibly including but not limited to Anne
Bradstreet, Katherine Philips, Aphra Behn, Anne Finch, Mary Robinson, Charlotte Smith, Phillis Wheatley, Dorothy Wordsworth, Emily Dickinson, Christina Rossetti, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Edna St. Vincent Millay. Readings will include both clusters of poems and critical essays on lyric forms and historical contexts. Each seminar member will be expected to present and to direct the discussion for considerable portions of our meetings. Writing requirements include a mid-term and final essay as well as Moodle posts and in-class writing. 

This course fulfills the
pre-1800 requirement for the English major.

Limited to 15 students. Fall semester. Visiting lecturer Myers.

How to handle overenrollment: preference given to upper level English majors who need to fill their pre-1800 requirement

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: emphasis on written work (both in-class writing and homework essays, analytical and creative); close readings of texts, contexts, and theory; independent research; oral presentations; group work; in-class quizzes or exams; field trips.