THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2022/2023

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

University Homepage
DRPS Homepage
DRPS Search
DRPS Contact
DRPS : Course Catalogue : Centre for Open Learning : Literature, Languages and Cultures

Undergraduate Course: Understanding Poetry (LLLG07073)

Course Outline
SchoolCentre for Open Learning CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryTHIS IS A FOR-CREDIT COURSE OFFERED BY THE OFFICE FOR LIFELONG LEARNING (OLL); ONLY STUDENTS REGISTERED WITH OLL SHOULD BE ENROLLED.

This course is an introduction to the theory of poetry. It provides an overview of the key categories of poetry, aiming to give students a theoretical and critical toolkit necessary in the analysis of poems. The course would work by examples and seek to provide a combination of theoretical principles and close reading.
Course description Week 1: Introduction. What is poetry?
Poets on poetry; poems about poetry; some characteristics of the genre.
Week 2: Prosody: Metre, Rhythm, Rhyme, Line.
Week 3: The Language of Poetry. Metaphor, figurative language, troping.
Week 4: Poetic Genres. Epic/ Lyric/ Dramatic. Homeric Epic and contemporary responses.
Week 5: Lyric and Subjectivity.
Week 6: Some formal structures: Sonnet, Ballad, Villanelle.
Week 7: Poetry and its others: Poetry and Song.
Week 8: Poetry and its others: Poetry and Prayer.
Week 9: Poetry and its others: Poetry and the News.
Week 10: Thinking in Poetry.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course students should be able to:
* explain the theoretical vocabulary necessary to the understanding of poetry.
* demonstrate close reading skills
* discuss the relationship between poetics and a poet's textual practice
* demonstrate an insight into personal taste and criteria of evaluating poetic texts.
Reading List
Essential
Class handouts with texts for close reading will be made available on a week to week basis.
Reeves, James. 1965. Understanding Poetry, London: Heinemann.

Recommended
Turco, Lewis. 2000. The Book of Forms. A Handbook of Poetics, Hanover and London: University Press of New England.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills * Critical reading and analysis
* Participation in discussion
* Collaborative working
* Composition of discursive essays
Special Arrangements None
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserMs Rachael King
Tel:
Email:
Course secretaryMs Kameliya Skerleva
Tel: (0131 6)51 1855
Email:
Navigation
Help & Information
Home
Introduction
Glossary
Search DPTs and Courses
Regulations
Regulations
Degree Programmes
Introduction
Browse DPTs
Courses
Introduction
Humanities and Social Science
Science and Engineering
Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Other Information
Combined Course Timetable
Prospectuses
Important Information