Grammar of Poetry

The Grammar of Poetry is a course designed to educate students in the mechanics and grammar involved in poetic literature. Students will not only learn how to read a poem but they will learn how poems are formed by using 10 powerful poetic tropes while exploring classical poetic pieces throughout history.

This 16-week course consists of nine modules, each with a specific focus. During each module, students will be assigned a weekly pre-recorded lecture, weekly reading, relevant reading questions, a weekly 1.5 hour live recitation, weekly workbook activities, and a final exam. In the course of the year, the students will have read and analyzed over 150 poems, listened to 16 lectures, accomplished various weekly exercises, and attended 16 live recitations.

Course Objectives

1. To learn the fundamentals of poetry from scansion and rhyme to more advanced concepts like spatial poetry and synecdoche.
2. Employ the classical methodology of imitation.
3. Understand figures of speech and how to use them effectively.
4. Navigate and identify poetic forms and metrics.
5. Learn how to read, understand, and write various poetic forms.

Texts:

• Students will need The Grammar of Poetry Student Textbook, as well as access to the Video Course. All access to those required materials can be found by visiting the following link: The Grammar of Poetry
• Octavia Wynne, Poetic Meter and Form (New York, NY: Bloomsbury, 2015). ISBN: 978-1-63286-444-4.
• Students will need access to a rhyming dictionary. Any rhyming dictionary will suffice, however preferred dictionaries include The Penguin Rhyming Dictionary or The Complete Rhyming Dictionary by Clement Wood.