ENGL 272 - What Makes a Collection?

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

This is a course about poetry—but instead of taking the individual poem as our main object of interest, we instead consider the poetry collection as a form. What makes poems belong together? Through what channels—formal, thematic and otherwise—can poems speak to each another? And what kinds of stories can be told through a series of poems that can’t be told in more traditional narrative forms? Students consider these questions through a slow reading of Stephanie McCarter’s feminist translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a collection of epic stories in verse. Our time together concludes with a live performance of the Metamorphoses by the playwright and performer Todd Conner, staged outside on Vassar’s campus with students’ help. Todd also holds a craft workshop to share the process of adapting Metamorphoses for solo stage performance. This intensive has 8 spots, and is suitable for both English and Drama majors. Katie Gemmill.

Prerequisite(s): Open to Juniors and Seniors, with permission of the instructor. Please send a paragraph outlining your interest and any relevant experience to kgemmill@vassar.edu.

One 2-hour period.

Course Format: INT