English Poetry c.800 – Present | A Survey

English Poetry: Foundations

from Old English to Contemporary Verse

Instructor: Adam Walker

Spring 2024

This survey course offers a foundational exploration of English poetry, tracing major developments from its Anglo-Saxon roots to contemporary verse. Through a broad yet engaging exploration, you’ll gain insights into the literary contexts that shaped these poems, delve into major forms and genres, and sharpen your skills of analyzing poetry. While the course focuses primarily upon English poetry, we will occasionally consider relevant poetry from Welsh, Scottish, Irish, and American traditions. Meetings will occur on the Zoom link provided on Patreon.

The goal of this course is to enable students to:

gain a comprehensive understanding of the development of English poetry;
understand the literary contexts that influenced the composition and meaning of poems;
cultivate a deeper appreciation for the beauty, power, and complexity of poetic language;
learn more about their own literary tastes.

Meetings consist of a live lecture (30-50 minutes) followed by Q&A and discussion. Prior knowledge is helpful but not required. There are no assigned readings before each lecture.

COURSE SCHEDULE

UNIT I: BACKGROUNDS TO ENGLISH POETRY

Jan. 3, 7pm EST Lecture 1: Bible Backgrounds and English Poetry | Poetry of the Bible

Jan. 10, 7pm EST Lecture 2: Bible Background | How Poets Read the Bible

Feb. 13, 6pm EST Lecture 3: Classical Backgrounds: The Greeks

Feb. 20, 6pm EST Lecture 4: Classical Backgrounds: The Latins

UNIT II: ENGLISH POETRY

Mar. 11, 6pm EST Lecture 5: Old English Poetry

Mar. 26, 6pm EST Lecture 6: Middle English Poetry

Apr. 9, 6pm EST Lecture 7: Renaissance and Early Modern Poetry

Apr. 23, 6pm EST Lecture 8: Metaphysical, Puritan, & Cavalier

Apr. 30, 6pm EST Lecture 9: Augustan Age Poetry