The course will focus on a selection of some of the most celebrated Spanish lyric poetry from the Middle Ages through the early 20th century. This will include reflection on the idea of lyric and lyric subjectivity, the continuities and discontinuities that have characterized lyric poetry over time, and exploration of some of the more striking features of lyric poetry in comparison to other forms of discourse. Our primary focus will be on techniques of reading, methods of analysis and the particularities of the poems we read. Extensive prior experience reading poetry is not required; a passion for protracted attention to the language of poetry is.

The course will focus on a selection of some of the most celebrated lyric poetry written in Spanish in the modern era (19th-20th centuries). Several basic objectives will run through the course: a) theoretical reflection on the idea of lyric poetry as a genre; b) familiarity with many of the major poetic voices of the modern era in Latin America and Spain; and c) exploration of some of the more striking features of lyric poetry in comparison to other forms of discourse. While we will review major aesthetic tendencies and discuss the way poetry has been described by theorists and literary critics, much of our focus will be on techniques of reading, methods of analysis and the particularities of the poems we read. Extensive prior experience reading poetry is not required; a passion for careful, deliberate attention to the language of poetry and its many dimensions is. By the end of the course you will have a better sense of the range of modern poetry written in Spanish, and a stronger set of tools and options when it comes to the question of "what to do" with a poem.

Spanish 25 is a prerequisite for this course.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills