War, warfare, and the traumatic effects of conflict have been themes claimed by poets since the earliest recorded manuscripts. This course will consider the reasons that poets consistently write about warfare, as well as the kinds of literature they produce. One question to guide that inquiry will be the question of why write poetry, when there is also a long and robust tradition of writing about war in prose, in genres such as the novel and memoir. In attempting to answer that question, we will attempt to understand war as both a shared experience with shared outcomes and as an individual and highly personal experience that results in highly personal responses.
The course will focus on two 20th century conflicts to contextualize these topics: World War I, and Irish republicanism and sectarian violence. Both events (or series of events) have produced a large volume of poetry and other literature, which is both a measure of their historical and cultural importance and helpful for understanding the effects of the conflicts and their aftermath. We will read broadly during the unit on World War I, covering poets of many backgrounds and perspectives. The question organizing this unit will be how poets reacted differently to their war experiences, and what literary trends came about as a result. This unit will end with reading J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit, a novel which is interestingly related to its poetic contemporaries.
In contrast, we will read deeply during the unit on Irish sectarianism, focusing on the Troubles (1969-1998) and the work of Seamus Heaney. Heaney’s career spans the length of the Troubles, providing a useful invitation into how poets engage in sustained ways with the rationales for, and collateral damage of, armed conflict. Heaney’s work will lead to significant connections with important Irish and international predecessors, including several poets featured in the WWI unit.
Students will be asked to evaluate each model of reading (breadth and depth) when thinking about how to approach the literature of other historical conflicts, including contemporary ones.
The final unit of the course will consider the use of adaptation in addressing contemporary conflict. The Iliad is not only famous as an epic poem, but specifically famous for its unflinching depictions of war and violence. While still an artful rendering of these topics, the Iliad is often discussed in relation to its continued and continuing relevance. We will pose similar questions about the text — is it relevant? to whom? how is its content historical or imaginary? does it advance any universal truth about conflict? — before reading two modern adaptations by Christopher Logue and Alice Oswald which significantly revise Homer’s text even as they both attempt to maintain the impact of its story.
Assignments
Minor assessments:
Three written responses to selected readings
Three one-page written interpretation of selected poems
Two one-page written responses to films
Four two-page written reflections
Major assessments:
Two essays: 1) Midterm, 2) Final
Final exam
Required texts
Poetry and War
The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien
North, Field Work, The Spirit Level, Seamus Heaney
The Iliad, Homer (trans. Stanley Lombardo)
War Music, Christopher Logue
Memorial, Alice Oswald
Class reader