Anti Poetry

Hating on poetry is a time-honored tradition. From Plato to the Dadaists, thinkers and writers across the world have questioned the reigning poetics, or the value of poetry altogether. This course examines a range of theoretical arguments about the value and nature of poetry from the premodern period to the present. At the same time, we will closely read materials from literary projects that have explored the permissible limits of the poetic, defined themselves against poetry, or have been accused of failing to meet the standards of poetry. Focusing on case studies like the Latin American anti-poetry movement, the Arabic prose poem and the work of the LANGUAGE poets, we will familiarize ourselves with debates in lyric theory and a variety of poetic traditions.