WRIT 3140 003 ADVANCED WRITING WORKSHOP
THE LONG POEM
Fridays, 9-12, McLean 112
Peter O’Leary, Instructor
www.luxhominem.com
luxhominem [at] gmail [dot] com
INTRODUCTION
In this course, you will propose and then begin to execute the composition of a
long poem. Your proposals will focus not only on quality of inspiration in
subject and idea, but also on formal concerns (in what manner to write a long
poem), and issues of feasibility. The goal of the course is to have you on your
way to completing your own long poem by the end of sixteen weeks, aided by
extensive reading of long-form poetry for class discussions, and intensive
mutual scrutiny of the projects of everyone involved in the class.
NOTEBOOKS
Each of you will keep a notebook for this course. Notebooks can record
several things, but especially these: 1) quotations from the readings; 2) lists of
titles; 3) words of interest; 4) definitions of words; 5) lists of books/works to
read; 6) impressions. Notebooks are the workshops for your long poems. Use
them to record ideas and instances of engagement with the material at hand.
These instances of engagement can/should include disputations and
disagreements with the poets we’ll be reading.
WORKSHOP
Initially, we’ll be generating individual and collective ideas in the workshop
element of the class; as the course develops, we’ll conduct workshop sessions
on two or three students’ poems, for which we will create a schedule. Toward
this end, you’ll be supplying copies of your poem to your classmates a week in
advance.
ASSESSMENT
You will be assessed in terms of three accomplishments: 1) A final portfolio
that includes the latest draft of your long poem, as well as auxiliary supporting
material; 2) Several short essays, related to class readings and research
projects; 3) Your participation.
1) Portfolio
This is a fair copy draft of your long poem, typed (either on a typewriter or a
word processor), along with any relevant supporting material, such as notes,
and a brief essay/statement (500 words) relating your poem to one of the long
poems we’ve read in class.
2) Short essays
You will write four short essays (500-600 words) as responses to the long
poems we read in class. The ideas you generate in these essays should be used
to inform your work on your own poem.
3) Participation
The task of this workshop is less critique than problem-solving. Writing long
form poetry presents practical and aesthetic difficulties that writing lyric
poetry, for instance, typically doesn’t. (For instance, how to sustain the energy
in the poem for more than a page.) Use your participation as an occasion to
think through these problems for yourself as you offer advice to your
classmates.
BOOKS AND POEMS
Copies of the following books are available at the DePaul Barnes & Noble on
State & Jackson in the Loop. Used copies of nearly all of these books are
likewise available to the determined searcher. I’ve listed the title of the long
poem we’ll be reading after the book, when relevant.
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1855) [“Song of Myself”]
Gerard Manly Hopkins, Mortal Beauty, God’s Grace [“The Wreck of the
Deutschland”]
H.D., Trilogy
Aimé Césaire, Notebook of a Return to a Native Land
Basil Bunting, Complete Poems [“Briggflatts”]
Ronald Johnson, Radi os
Anne Carson, Glass, Irony, and God [“The Glass Essay”]
Additionally, we’ll be reading the following poems, which I will supply for the
class in PDFs:
William Wordsworth, “The Two-Part Prelude” (1799)
Mina Loy, “Songs to Joannes”
Robinson Jeffers, “The Roan Stallion”
PLAGIARISM
SAIC prohibits “dishonesty such as cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly
furnishing false information to the School” (Students’ Rights and
Responsibilities, Student Handbook). Plagiarism is a form of intellectual theft.
You plagiarize when you present another’s work as your own, even if you does
not intend to. It will not be tolerated in this class. The penalty for plagiarizing
may also result in some loss of some types of financial aid (for example, a No
Credit in a course can lead to a loss of the Presidential Scholarship), and
repeat offenses can lead to expulsion from the School. To find out more about
plagiarism and how to avoid it, you can (1) go to the portal, select the
“Services” tab, and click on “Plagiarism” under “Academic Advising and
Student Success”; (2) go to the SAIC Web site, select “Departments, Degrees,
and Academic Resources,” then select “Libraries,” then select “Flaxman
Library,” and then click on the plagiarism links under the “For Our Faculty”
tab; or (3) read about it in the Student Handbook under the section “Academic
Misconduct.”
DISABILITIES
Any student in need of accommodations because of a disability should first
contact SAIC’s Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC) as early in the
semester as possible. The DLRC can be reached by phone (312.499.4278) or
by email dlrc@saic.edu. Staff at the DLRC will review the student’s disability
documentation and work with the student to determine reasonable
accommodations. The DLRC will then provide the student with a letter
outlining the approved accommodations, which must be presented to the
student's instructors before any accommodations will be implemented.
ATTENDANCE
You are permitted two absences. After that, you receive no credit for the
course.
SCHEDULE
Friday, September 3, 2010
Introductory. What is a long poem, what makes it different from other poetic
forms? Begin to read Wordsworth’s “Prelude” in class.
Friday, September 10, 2010
William Wordsworth. 1799.
Read: “The Prelude,” Two-part 1799 version. PDF.
Self and historical events as subject; blank verse.
Workshop: Roundtable on potential subjects.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Walt Whitman. 1855.
Read: “Song of Myself,” 1855 version, in Leaves of Grass.
Self as subject; free verse; serial form.
Workshop: Roundtable on topics and forms.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Walt Whitman. 1855.
Read: “Song of Myself,” 1855 version, in Leaves of Grass.
Workshop: Roundtable reading of initial work/discoveries.
Due: Short essay 1.
Friday, September 30, 2010
Gerard Manley Hopkins. 1875.
Read: “The Wreck of the Deutschland,” in Mortal Beauty, God’s Grace.
Catastrophe as subject; rhymed verse; serial form.
Workshop: Melissa.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Mina Loy. 1917.
Read: “Songs to Joannes,” PDF.
Love/passion as subject; free verse; serial form.
Workshop: Brian, Cassidy, Sarah.
Due: Draft of poem.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Robinson Jeffers. 1925.
Read: “The Roan Stallion,” PDF.
Violence/natural world as subject; blank-free verse; narrative form.
Workshop: Christl, Darcy, Michael.
Due: Short essay 2.
Friday, October 22, 2010
H.D. 1941.
Read: Trilogy, especially, “Tribute to the Angels” (Part II)
War/catastrophe/esotericism as subject; free verse; serial form.
Workshop: Ryan, Vrinda, Wendy.
Friday, October 29, 2010
H.D.
Read: Trilogy, focusing on “Tribute to the Angels”
Workshop: Alex, Anna, Caroline.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Aimé Césaire. 1947.
Read: Notebook of a Return to a Native Land.
Post-colonialism/surrealism as subject; free verse/prose-poem; notebook
form.
Workshop: Melissa, Sara, Brian.
Due: Draft of poem.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Aimé Césaire. 1947.
Read: Notebook of a Return to a Native Land.
Workshop: Cassidy, Sarah, Christl.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Basil Bunting. 1965.
Read: “Briggflatts” in Complete Poems.
Self/sex as subject; free/rhymed verse; seasonal form.
Workshop: Darcy, Michael, Ryan.
Friday, November 26, 2010
NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING BREAK.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Ronald Johnson. 1977.
Read: Radi os.
Milton/cosmos as subject; poem-by-excision as form.
Workshop: Vrinda, Wendy, Alex.
Due: Short essay 3
Friday, December 10, 2010
NO CLASS: CRITIQUE WEEK
Friday, December 17, 2010
Anne Carson. 1995.
Read: “The Glass Essay,” in Glass, Irony, and God.
Literature/break-up as subject; free verse; narrative form.
Workshop: Anna, Caroline, Sara.
Due: Final portfolio.
Home | Long Poem
THE LONG POEM
Fridays, 9-12, McLean 112
Peter O’Leary, Instructor
www.luxhominem.com
luxhominem [at] gmail [dot] com
INTRODUCTION
In this course, you will propose and then begin to execute the composition of a
long poem. Your proposals will focus not only on quality of inspiration in
subject and idea, but also on formal concerns (in what manner to write a long
poem), and issues of feasibility. The goal of the course is to have you on your
way to completing your own long poem by the end of sixteen weeks, aided by
extensive reading of long-form poetry for class discussions, and intensive
mutual scrutiny of the projects of everyone involved in the class.
NOTEBOOKS
Each of you will keep a notebook for this course. Notebooks can record
several things, but especially these: 1) quotations from the readings; 2) lists of
titles; 3) words of interest; 4) definitions of words; 5) lists of books/works to
read; 6) impressions. Notebooks are the workshops for your long poems. Use
them to record ideas and instances of engagement with the material at hand.
These instances of engagement can/should include disputations and
disagreements with the poets we’ll be reading.
WORKSHOP
Initially, we’ll be generating individual and collective ideas in the workshop
element of the class; as the course develops, we’ll conduct workshop sessions
on two or three students’ poems, for which we will create a schedule. Toward
this end, you’ll be supplying copies of your poem to your classmates a week in
advance.
ASSESSMENT
You will be assessed in terms of three accomplishments: 1) A final portfolio
that includes the latest draft of your long poem, as well as auxiliary supporting
material; 2) Several short essays, related to class readings and research
projects; 3) Your participation.
1) Portfolio
This is a fair copy draft of your long poem, typed (either on a typewriter or a
word processor), along with any relevant supporting material, such as notes,
and a brief essay/statement (500 words) relating your poem to one of the long
poems we’ve read in class.
2) Short essays
You will write four short essays (500-600 words) as responses to the long
poems we read in class. The ideas you generate in these essays should be used
to inform your work on your own poem.
3) Participation
The task of this workshop is less critique than problem-solving. Writing long
form poetry presents practical and aesthetic difficulties that writing lyric
poetry, for instance, typically doesn’t. (For instance, how to sustain the energy
in the poem for more than a page.) Use your participation as an occasion to
think through these problems for yourself as you offer advice to your
classmates.
BOOKS AND POEMS
Copies of the following books are available at the DePaul Barnes & Noble on
State & Jackson in the Loop. Used copies of nearly all of these books are
likewise available to the determined searcher. I’ve listed the title of the long
poem we’ll be reading after the book, when relevant.
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1855) [“Song of Myself”]
Gerard Manly Hopkins, Mortal Beauty, God’s Grace [“The Wreck of the
Deutschland”]
H.D., Trilogy
Aimé Césaire, Notebook of a Return to a Native Land
Basil Bunting, Complete Poems [“Briggflatts”]
Ronald Johnson, Radi os
Anne Carson, Glass, Irony, and God [“The Glass Essay”]
Additionally, we’ll be reading the following poems, which I will supply for the
class in PDFs:
William Wordsworth, “The Two-Part Prelude” (1799)
Mina Loy, “Songs to Joannes”
Robinson Jeffers, “The Roan Stallion”
PLAGIARISM
SAIC prohibits “dishonesty such as cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly
furnishing false information to the School” (Students’ Rights and
Responsibilities, Student Handbook). Plagiarism is a form of intellectual theft.
You plagiarize when you present another’s work as your own, even if you does
not intend to. It will not be tolerated in this class. The penalty for plagiarizing
may also result in some loss of some types of financial aid (for example, a No
Credit in a course can lead to a loss of the Presidential Scholarship), and
repeat offenses can lead to expulsion from the School. To find out more about
plagiarism and how to avoid it, you can (1) go to the portal, select the
“Services” tab, and click on “Plagiarism” under “Academic Advising and
Student Success”; (2) go to the SAIC Web site, select “Departments, Degrees,
and Academic Resources,” then select “Libraries,” then select “Flaxman
Library,” and then click on the plagiarism links under the “For Our Faculty”
tab; or (3) read about it in the Student Handbook under the section “Academic
Misconduct.”
DISABILITIES
Any student in need of accommodations because of a disability should first
contact SAIC’s Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC) as early in the
semester as possible. The DLRC can be reached by phone (312.499.4278) or
by email dlrc@saic.edu. Staff at the DLRC will review the student’s disability
documentation and work with the student to determine reasonable
accommodations. The DLRC will then provide the student with a letter
outlining the approved accommodations, which must be presented to the
student's instructors before any accommodations will be implemented.
ATTENDANCE
You are permitted two absences. After that, you receive no credit for the
course.
SCHEDULE
Friday, September 3, 2010
Introductory. What is a long poem, what makes it different from other poetic
forms? Begin to read Wordsworth’s “Prelude” in class.
Friday, September 10, 2010
William Wordsworth. 1799.
Read: “The Prelude,” Two-part 1799 version. PDF.
Self and historical events as subject; blank verse.
Workshop: Roundtable on potential subjects.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Walt Whitman. 1855.
Read: “Song of Myself,” 1855 version, in Leaves of Grass.
Self as subject; free verse; serial form.
Workshop: Roundtable on topics and forms.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Walt Whitman. 1855.
Read: “Song of Myself,” 1855 version, in Leaves of Grass.
Workshop: Roundtable reading of initial work/discoveries.
Due: Short essay 1.
Friday, September 30, 2010
Gerard Manley Hopkins. 1875.
Read: “The Wreck of the Deutschland,” in Mortal Beauty, God’s Grace.
Catastrophe as subject; rhymed verse; serial form.
Workshop: Melissa.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Mina Loy. 1917.
Read: “Songs to Joannes,” PDF.
Love/passion as subject; free verse; serial form.
Workshop: Brian, Cassidy, Sarah.
Due: Draft of poem.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Robinson Jeffers. 1925.
Read: “The Roan Stallion,” PDF.
Violence/natural world as subject; blank-free verse; narrative form.
Workshop: Christl, Darcy, Michael.
Due: Short essay 2.
Friday, October 22, 2010
H.D. 1941.
Read: Trilogy, especially, “Tribute to the Angels” (Part II)
War/catastrophe/esotericism as subject; free verse; serial form.
Workshop: Ryan, Vrinda, Wendy.
Friday, October 29, 2010
H.D.
Read: Trilogy, focusing on “Tribute to the Angels”
Workshop: Alex, Anna, Caroline.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Aimé Césaire. 1947.
Read: Notebook of a Return to a Native Land.
Post-colonialism/surrealism as subject; free verse/prose-poem; notebook
form.
Workshop: Melissa, Sara, Brian.
Due: Draft of poem.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Aimé Césaire. 1947.
Read: Notebook of a Return to a Native Land.
Workshop: Cassidy, Sarah, Christl.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Basil Bunting. 1965.
Read: “Briggflatts” in Complete Poems.
Self/sex as subject; free/rhymed verse; seasonal form.
Workshop: Darcy, Michael, Ryan.
Friday, November 26, 2010
NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING BREAK.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Ronald Johnson. 1977.
Read: Radi os.
Milton/cosmos as subject; poem-by-excision as form.
Workshop: Vrinda, Wendy, Alex.
Due: Short essay 3
Friday, December 10, 2010
NO CLASS: CRITIQUE WEEK
Friday, December 17, 2010
Anne Carson. 1995.
Read: “The Glass Essay,” in Glass, Irony, and God.
Literature/break-up as subject; free verse; narrative form.
Workshop: Anna, Caroline, Sara.
Due: Final portfolio.
Home | Long Poem
