ENGL 174 - Poetry and Philosophy: The Ancient Quarrel

Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1/2 unit(s)

Topic for 2014/15a&b: Poetry and Philosophy: The Ancient Quarrel. When Plato famously banished poets from his ideal Republic, he spoke of an ancient quarrel between poetry and philosophy. That argument has continued, in various forms, down to the present, culminating in Heidegger’s notorious question, “What are poets for?” This six-week course looks at a number of key texts in this contentious history, along with exemplary poems that illustrate the issues. Writers include Plato, Aristotle, Dante, Shelley, Wordsworth, Wilde, Eliot, Blanchot, Derrida, and others. Mr. Kane.

No specialized knowledge of poetry or philosophy required.

The class is ungraded.

Two 75-minute periods.