Comparative Literature 391Q - S-Poetry/Political Imagination

Poetry of the political imagination is a matter of both vision and language. Any progressive social change must be imagined first; any oppressive social condition, before it can change, must be named in words that persuade. Poets of the political imagination go beyond protest to define an artistry of resistance. This course explores how best to combine poetry and politics, craft and commitment. Students will read classic works ranging from Pablo Neruda's historical epic, The Heights of Macchu Picchu, to Allen Ginsberg's Howl, the book that sparked an obscenity trial. They will also read the farmworker poems of Diana Garcia, born in a migrant labor camp; the epigrams of Ernesto Cardenal, written against the dictator of Nicaragua; the emergency room sonnets of Dr. Rafael Campo; the prison poetry of political dissident Nazim Hikmet; and the feminist satire of Marge Piercy, among others.