Topics vary from semester to semester.

In poetry, meters are verse forms based on rhythmic forms of language. They have been fundamental to the English poetic tradition from its beginnings through the mid-20th c., yet have sometimes seemed difficult, even dissatisfying, to study. This has changed in recent decades, as developments within linguistics have enhanced understanding of rhythm in language, and in turn, understanding of meter, illuminating its various forms and aesthetic possibilities. This course will offer an introduction to meters of the English poetic tradition from this recent linguistic perspective. To the extent possible, it will be organized as a companion to English 45, offering a chance to delve more deeply into metrical aspects of the literary history sketched there. We will consider the Old English meter of Beowulf, Middle English meters adapted from French and Italian which joined descendants of the native English meters; Early Modern English experiments with new (and old) forms which culminated in the canonization of the iambic pentameter of Shakespeare’s Sonnets; the many other meters and even other forms of iambic pentameter which coexisted with or descended from that meter, including in Shakespeare’s own works; 18th c. meters based on musical forms; and, bringing things full circle, 19th century experiments with new (and old) forms, especially as Beowulf was being rediscovered and its meter reconstructed. Throughout, the goal will be for students to become confident about integrating meter into their consideration of other aspects of poetry. No prior background in linguistics is required, but concepts from linguistics will be introduced, and used.

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