EL 68 C Stories in Verse: Narrative Poetry
Instructor: Özlem Görey
E-mail: [email protected]
Schedule: T 2 3 4
Office hours: TBA TB 440
Storytelling and construction of narratives is central to the way human beings
think and make sense of the world. The term ‘narrative’ itself has been much used and
abused and a consensus on a definition and the nature of narrative remains elusive.
Even so, the theory of the narrative, or narratology, has become an important area of
study for the last few decades as both the narrative and the narrative structure
influence our perception and the ultimate creation of meaning.
Narrative poetry relates a series of events through the use of the voices of a
narrator and specific characters. Similar to the construction of a short story or novel,
narrative poetry usually contains the elements of plot, character, conflict and setting.
Although the narratological approach has been widely applied to novels and short
stories, poetry has remained out of its area of interest.
This course explores narrative poetry from the narratological point of view
and how narrative voice impacts the narrative as a whole. The aim is to investigate the
“story” in poetry and the voice(s) that tell(s) it.
29 Sept.
Introduction to Narrative Theory
6 Oct.
Narrative Theory cont.
13 Oct.
William Shakespeare, ‘Venus and Adonis’ and ‘Rape of Lucrece’
Christopher Marlowe, ‘Hero and Leander’
20 Oct.
Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock
William Wordsworth, ‘The Idiot Boy’, ‘The Mad Mother’, ‘Michael’
27 Oct.
John Keats, ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’, ‘Lamia’
3 Nov.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
10 Nov.
Robert Browning, The Ring and the Book
17 Nov.
Tennyson, ‘Tithonus’, ‘Ulysses’, Christina Rossetti, ‘Goblin Market’
24 Nov.
H.D., Helen in Egypt
1 Dec.
Vikram Seth, The Golden Gate
8 Dec.
Ted Hughes, Birthday Letters
15 Dec.
Derek Walcott, Omeros
22 Dec.
Jackie Kay, The Adoption Papers
Alice Oswald, Dart
Response Papers: You are expected to present six response papers of approximately
750-800 words each throughout the semester.
Term Paper: The final essay of this course should be around 3000 words. You may
choose to write about one of the texts discussed in class. You might also write on a
narrative poem of your choice.
Suggested Reading:
Abbott, H. P. (2002). The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Alber, Jan and Fludernik, Monika. (eds.). (2010). Postclassical Narratology :
Approaches and Analyses. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.
Barthes, Roland. (1966 1977). “Introduction to the Structural Analysis of
Narratives,” trans. S. Heath. In Image Music Text. pp. 79-124. New York: Hill
& Wang.
Barthes, Roland. (1975). The Pleasure of the Text. Trans. Miller, Richard. New York:
Hill and Wang.
Booth, Wayne C. (1961). The Rhetoric of Fiction. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
Genette, Gérard (1980). Narrative Discourse: An Essay in Method. Trans. Jane E.
Levin. Ithaca and New York: Cornell University Press.
Herman, David. (ed.). (2007). The Cambridge Companion to Narrative. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Herman, David. (2009). Basic Elements of Narrative. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Herman D., Phelan J., Rabinowitz, P. J., Richardson, B., Warhol, R. (2012). Narrative
Theory: Core Concepts and Critical Debates. Columbus: Ohio State
University Press.
Herman, Luc and Vervaeck, Bart. (2005). Handbook of Narrative Analysis. Lincoln
and London: University of Nebraska Press.