ENGL199
VisionaryPoetry:EastandWest(FirstYearSeminar)
CRN36850
Spring,2016
101VOL(VolcanologyBuilding)
TuesdayandThursday12:00-1:20
BenBrinkley,[email protected],346-2025
Officehours:Monday2-3.McKenzie453
Overview
IneachclassmeetingofthisFirstYearSeminar,wewillreadpoemsandlook
atarttogether.
Mostofthepoemsinthesyllabusrelatetovisionaryexperiences.Theycome
fromarangeoftimesandcultures,startingfromcontemporaryAmericaand
workinggraduallybackward,endingwithancientIndia.Eachhistoricalor
culturalsettingwillalsobeintroducedbyexploringoneormoreworksof
visualartfromthatsetting.
Aswetravelthroughpoetryandart,wewillconsiderthenatureofthe
visionaryormysticalexperiencesconveyedbyourpoetsandartists.Inorder
tohelpwiththisinquiry,wewillalsoreadsomesecondarysourcesabout
mysticalorspiritualexperienceinordertodevelopasharedunderstandingof
it.
Primaryreadings
Studentswillreadseveralpoems(orexcerptsofpoems)inpreparationfor
eachclass.Themainactivityduringclasstimewillbeafacilitatedgroup
discussionofoneormoreofthesepoems,andofoneormoreworksofart.
Studentswilloftenbeaskedtopreparewrittennotesonthepoetryreading
assignments.Wewilltalkabouthowtodothisinclass.Foralistofthe
primarypoetswewillread,seeCourseSchedulebelow.
Secondaryreadings
Secondaryreadingswillincludeessaysorbookexcerptson(1)thetechnique
ofclosereadingofpoetryand(2)attemptstounderstandmystical
experiences.Readingsofthefirstwillguideusinsettingupaframeworkfor
readingpoems...
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CamillePaglia,Break,Blow,Burn,(Introduction).Paglia’sintroductiontothe
volumegivesclearandsuccinctexplanationof‘closereading.’Wewillalso
useasanexampleoneofherclosereadings,onapoemofJohnDonne.
T.S.Eliot,"TraditionandtheIndividualTalent"(selections).
...andthesecondsortwillhelpusinthinkingabouthowmysticalexperience
relatestoitsreligiouscontext:
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WilliamJames,TheVarietiesofReligiousExperience(selections)
StevenKatz,“Language,EpistemologyandMysticism”(selections)InSteven
T.Katz,ed.,MysticismandPhilosophicalAnalysis
Briefpassagesfromothersecondaryreadingswillalsobeassignedat
milepostsduringthecoursetohelpcontextualizeeachnewgroupofpoets.
Classdiscussions
Allstudentswilllearnhowtofacilitatesuchdiscussions,andinfactmost
discussionswillbestudent-led.
Wewillinitiallylearnfacilitationtechniquesusingvisualart.Itiseasiestto
learnthetechniqueinthisway,andthemainqualitiesthatweaimforinboth
typesofdiscussionarethesame:specificityofobservation,evidentiary
reasoning(“Whatdoyouseethatmakesyousaythat?”)andarticulating
connectionsamongstdifferenttypesofobservationsorconjectures.
Wewillviewworksofvisualartthroughoutthetermastheinstructor
introducestheculturalcontextofeachpoetorgroupofpoets.Forexample,
whenreadingmedievalChristianmystics,wewilllookatmedievalEuropean
religiousart.
Throughourdiscussions,wewillworktogethertodevelopalistofpoetic
terminologyand‘strategies’(includingtechniques,formalqualities,poetic
subjects)forconveyingmysticalorvisionaryexperienceinverse.
Writingassignments:
Therewillbetwoshortwritingassignmentsandtwolongeressays.Theshort
assignmentswillbeclosereadingsofsinglepoems(orexcerptsfrompoems).
Thelongeressayswillcomparetwoormorepoemsontheirformalqualities
whiledefendingathesisaboutmysticismandpoetry.Inadditiontothese,
briefwrittenreadingsummariesmaysometimesberequired.
Shortessays1and2(dueTuesdayofWeek2andTuesdayofWeek4,
respectively.)
Eachofthesepaperswillbea2-3pageclosereadingofapoem(orexcerpt
fromapoem.)Thepoemmustbeonethatwehavestudiedforclass,or
studentsshouldreceiveapprovalfromtheinstructor(viaemail)tousea
differentpoem.
Justaswewillhavepracticedinourin-persondiscussions,awrittenclose
readingmustbecarriedoutintermsoffeaturesandqualitiesthatcanactually
beseeninthepoem.Thatis,yourideasaboutthepoemmustbesupportedby
thingsinthepoemthatcanbepointedouttoanyreader;yourinterpretation
can’tjustbebasedonyourpersonalexperience,oronotherinformation
aboutthepoetorhis/herculture.
Theclosereadingmustalsosupportathesisstatementaboutthemeaningin
ortheformalqualitiesofthepoem.Priortothefirstshortpaper,wewillread
andreviewasamplestudentclosereadingessaytogether.Wewillalsoreview
arangeofappropriatethesisstatementsthatcouldbetackledforpoemswe
havealreadytalkedabout.
Studentswillreceivegradesandwrittenfeedbackfromtheinstructorontheir
twoshortessaysbyTuesdayofWeek3andTuesdayofWeek5,
respectively.
Studentsarewelcometorevisetheirpapersbasedonwrittenfeedbackand
resubmitthem,iftheywishtoimprovethepaper’sgrade.
Longessays1and2(dueTuesdayofWeek7andthelastdayofclass,
respectively.)
Thelongessayswillhavealltherequirementsoftheshorterones,withthe
additionalchallengethattheessaymustcomparetwopoems(orpoetic
excerpts)andsupportathesisaboutthenatureofmysticalexperienceasseen
inthepoemsyouarewritingabout.Theseessaysshouldbe6-8pageslong.
Thelongessayscanbebaseduponastudent’searlierworkinoneofthe
shorteressays,ortheycantacklenewpoems.
Studentscanrefertothecoursewebsiteforourcollaborativelycompiledlist
of‘strategies’bywhichmysticismandpoetryinterrelate.Afterdiscussingthe
longessayassignmentinclassonThursdayofweek4,studentswillreceive
instructionsforwritinganessayproposal,andwillhavetheweekendto
prepareawrittenproposal,dueTuesdayofweek5.Studentswillreceive
writtenfeedbackfromtheinstructorontheirproposalsthenextclasssession.
ThefirstlongessayisdueTuesdayofweek7.
Theprocessforlongessay2issimilar,occurringbetweenweeks8and10.
(Seetheschedulebelow).
Turninginwork:
Allworkshouldbesubmittedelectronicallyviathesite’sCanvaspage.This
wayyouandIcanbotheasilylookbackoverpreviousworkandcompareto
seehowthingsarecomingalong.
Fieldtrips:
Wewilltaketwofieldtripsduringtheterm,onetotheJordanSchnitzer
MuseumofArt,topracticegroupdiscussionofreligiousart,andonetoKnight
LibrarySpecialcollections,wherewewillviewandhandleartifactsrelatedto
poetry.
GradingStructure
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10%Discussionparticipation.
10%Discussionfacilitation
20%Shortassignmentssuchasreadingsummaries
40%Thetwolongeressays
20%Thetwoshorteressays
CourseSchedule
1A
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WilliamStafford,“WhenIMetMyMuse,”“TheWayItIs”
LouiseGluck,“TheEveningStar”
LouiseGluck,“TheUndertaking”
Artdiscussion:DavidWojnarowicz,Untitled(FaceinDirt),1993
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CamillePaglia,“Introduction”(selections),inBreak,Blow,Burn,pp.
vii-xvii.
CamillePaglia,analysisofJohnDonneHolySonnetXIVinBreak,Blow,
Burn,pp.30-33.
WilliamCarlosWilliams1883-1963“TheRedWheelbarrow”
WallaceStevens1879-1955“TheIdeaofOrderatKeyWest””Not
IdeasAbouttheThingbuttheThingItself”
eecummings1894-1962“SevenPoems”
1B
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MarianneMoore1887-1972“WhatAreYears?”
Artdiscussion:HenriRousseau,SleepingGypsy,1897.
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WilliamJames,TheVarietiesofReligiousExperience,LecturesXVIand
XVII,‘Mysticism.’pp.379-406
WaltWhitman1819-1892“SongofMyself”(“WaltWhitman”)1-33
EmilyDickinson1830-1886“BehindMe–dipsEternity”,“‘TisSoMuch
Joy”“Itastealiquorneverbrewed”“IknowthatHeexists”“TheSecret
(Somethingsthatflytherebe–)”
Artdiscussion:MaryCassatt,TheChild’sBath,1893,ArtInstituteof
Chicago.
Shortpaper1due
2A
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2B
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WilliamJames,TheVarietiesofReligiousExperience,LecturesXVIand
XVII,‘Mysticism.’pp.407-429
RalphWaldoEmerson1803-1882,“Brahma,”“GiveAlltoLove”,
Chapter1,“Nature”fromtheessay,“Nature.”(“Ibecomeatransparent
eyeball…”)
GerardManleyHopkins1844-1889“God’sGrandeur,”“PiedBeauty,”
“TheBlessedVirginComparedtotheAirWeBreathe,”“Peace”
Artdiscussion:VincentvanGogh.PlainofAuvers.1890.Neue
Pinakothek(Munich,Germany).
3A
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JohnClare1793-1864“IAm”“Song(IHidMyLove)”“Remembrances”
WilliamBlake1757-1827“TheTyger”“AugeriesofInnocence”
selectionsfrom“TheMarriageofHeavenandHell”
WilliamWordsworth1770-1850“LinesWrittenaFewMilesAbove
TinternAbbey”“OdeonIntimationsofImmortality”
Artdiscussion:WilliamBlake,SongsofExperience,1794.
Artdiscussion:J.M.WTurner.TheHarborofDieppe.1826(?).TheFrick
Collection.
StudentsreceivewrittenfeedbackonShortpaper1.
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KnightLibraryFieldTrip
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AndrewMarvell1621-1678“OnaDropofDew”“TheGarden”
ThomasTraherne1636-1674“Innocence”“Wonder”“The
Preparative”“MySpirit”“Sight”“Love”“AnHymneuponSt
BartholomewsDay”
Artdiscussion:RembrandtvanRijn.SacrificeofIsaac.AltePinakothek
(Munich,Germany.)
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3B
4A
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Shortpaper2due
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ArtMuseumFieldTrip
Introductiontolongessayrequirements
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CamillePaglia,analysisofGeorgeHerbert,“Love”in_Break,Blow,
Burn_,pp.43-46.
GeorgeHerbert1593-1633“Love”“TheCall”“EasterWings”
JohnDonne1572-1631“HolySonnetXIV(Battermyheart,threepersonedGod…)”“AireandAngels”“AHymntoChristattheAuthor’s
LastGoingIntoGermany”
Artdiscussion:Breughel,ConversionofSt.Paul,1567.
KunsthistorischesMuseumWien.
Proposalsforlongessay1due
4B
5A
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5B
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SaintJohnoftheCross1542-1591“StanzasoftheSoul”(“DarkNight
oftheSoul”)”TheLivingFlameofLove”(threestanzas);“Concerning
anEcstasyExperiencedinHighContemplation
SaintTeresaofAvila1515-1582,Introductionandselectedpoems
fromLadinsky,Daniel,LovePoemsFromGod...”
Artdiscussion:HieronymusBosch,TriptychoftheEpiphany.After
1500.MuseodelPrado.
Artdiscussion:TheCrucifixionwithDonorsandSaintsPeterand
Margaret,CornelisEngebrechtsz,1519.CollectionoftheMetropolitan
MuseumofArt.
6A
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Rumi[c.1200](Nicholson,trans.)“TheChildrenofLight”(p.42)“The
Saint’sVisionofEternity”“AmorAgitatMolem”“Cosmic
Consciousness”.IntroductionandselectedpoemsfromLadinsky,
trans.LovePoemsFromGod
Artdiscussion:SeductionofYusufbySuleika(fromBustanbySa'di,a
bookoftales)1488,Dāral-Kutubal-Qawmīyah,Cairo,Egypt.
6B
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7A
Hafiz(Ladinsky,trans.)“ForaSingleTear”“ThatLampthatNeedsNo
Oil”“TheFishandIWillChat”“FaithfulLover”“ImaginationDoesNot
Exist”
Artdiscussion:Foliofromthe"BlueQur'an";Qur'anManuscript,
Fatimidperiod(909-1171).CollectionoftheMetropolitanMuseumof
Art.
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DogenKigen[c.1300]Shobogenzo:Genjokoan,Sansuikyo,Uji.
Artdiscussion:FugaiEkun,BodhidharmaCrossingtheYangtzeRiveron
aReed,lateMomoyamaorearlyEdoPeriod,SansoCollection,Asian
ArtPhotographicDistribution(AAPD)(UniversityofMichigan)
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Longessay1due
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ForewordandIntroductiontoAZenForest,SayingsoftheMasters[c.
1300],withaselectionofpoems;Poemsandcommentariesonpages
4-17ofHaiku,byR.H.Blyth,volumeIII,Summer-Autumn
Artdiscussion:TheDaoistImmortalResshi,Attributedto,Kano
Kotonobu,activeearly17thcentury,CollectionoftheMetropolitan
MuseumofArt.
7B
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8A
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LiPo[c.700]“TheYo-MeiMountainMoon”“IamaPeachTree”
“ChuangChouandtheButterfly”“TheCataractofLuhShan–I”“On
GoingtoVisitaTaoistRecluseonMountTai-Tien,butFailingtoMeet
Him”“AttheCellofanAbsentMountainPriest”“AMidnightFarewell”
TuFu:“AutumnPastoral”“Night”
Artdiscussion:Night-ShiningWhite,HanGan(Chinese,activeca.742–
756)CollectionoftheMetropolitanMuseumofArt.
Proposalsforlongessay2due
8B
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BookofRevelation[c.95]KingJamestranslation
Artdiscussion:SaintJohnDevouringtheBook,fromTheApocalypse,
AlbrechtDürer(German,Nuremberg1471–1528Nuremberg)
CollectionoftheMetropolitanMuseumofArt.
Artdiscussion:LeaffromaBeatusManuscript:theLambattheFootof
theCross,FlankedbyTwoAngels;TheCallingofSaintJohnwiththe
EnthronedChristflankedbyAngelsandaManHoldingaBook,ca.1180,
CollectionoftheMetropolitanMuseumofArt.
9A
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9B
TaoTeChing[c.600BCE]1-17,S.Mitchelltranslation
Artdiscussion:TheGrandTetonsandtheSnakeRiver,AnselEaston
Adams,1942(printedlater)TheJohnandMableRinglingMuseumof
Art.
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Mahabharata[c.400BCE]Book10“TheMassacreatNight”,Chapter
7,(Ashvatthaman’sself-sacrificeandtransformation).Theophanyin
theBhagavadGita(Mahabharatabook6,section35)
Artdiscussion:ShivaasMrityunjaya,theConquererofDeath,12th
century,BangladeshorIndia(Bengal),CollectionoftheMetropolitan
MuseumofArt.
10A
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RgVeda[1700BCE]“CreationHymn”“SomaandIndraandtheEagle”
“TheSoma-DrinkerPraisesHimself”“TheEcstasyofSoma”“WeHave
DrunktheSoma”“TheLong-hairedAscetic”
10B
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Discussionpassages:students’choice
Longessay2due.