USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and ...



ENGL 406: The Poet in Paris May 11- June 9, 2020

Mark Irwin, PhD mirwin@usc.edu

Spring 2020 Maymester Paris, France

Office: Paris Am Academy 275 Rue St. Jaques W: 12-2:00 TH: arranged

Course Description

The Poet in Paris will offer an intermediate-level course (ENGL 406) in poetry writing

for undergraduate creative-writing majors (and non-majors with the approval of the instructor) in Paris, France, over the month-long Maymester term. This workshop is intended for mature undergraduates, with some travel experience, able to assimilate other cultures and arts in a major metropolitan city, and who are able to make arrangements at their own expense for transportation, lodging, and meals. More information will be found in this syllabus under “Logistics.”

Students will participate in poetry workshops, three mornings each week for three hours, where we will critique poems written in English while we study as models the works of both French and American poets. Students with an intermediate knowledge of French will also be given translation exercises. Texts will include Paul Auster’s Random House Book of 20th Century French Poetry, along with poems by the French Symbolists, and books by contemporary American and French poets. Various writing assignments, including an ekphrastic exercise, will utilize the rich museum and gallery scene in Paris.

Immersion into the Parisian culture and deep historical landscape should serve as a catalyst for students to broaden their vision and range as writers, and also to hear their own language more clearly. They will meet with other poets and artists, attend readings and art openings, while studying at the Paris American Academy, where our classes will be held. Fluency in French is not a requirement but a keen interest and desire to learn the language can heighten a writer’s work.

Course Requirements

The capstone of the course will be a public reading by the students at a location to be determined. Students will complete a chapbook of 5-7 original poems and complete

a portfolio of exercises.

1. Everyone will be expected to produce at least 5 new, finished poems with attendant revisions.

2. Everyone will be expected to complete at least 3 of the 5 assigned exercises. (These may count toward the 5 finished poems.)

3. Anyone missing more than 2 classes may receive a grade of F.

4. Everyone will be expected to make written comments on the poems work-shopped, & to be well prepared for the discussions.

5. Everyone will hand in a portfolio of completed poems, Xeroxes, and a final chapbook of 5-7 poems, self-designed.

6. Attendance is mandatory and critical at all these classes. One absence, unexcused, will lower your grade. Two absences may result in an F for the course. Two lates, more than 10 minutes

= an absence.

Required Books:

Auster, Paul. The Random House Book of 20th Century French Poetry. NY: Random House, 1984. (Not Required/Recommended)

Angie Estes. Enchantée. Oberlin: Oberlin College Press, November 2013..

Pdf Packets: FRANCE1, FRANCE2, FRANCE3, FRANCE 4 Contemporary

French & American Poems= F1, F2, F3, F4

13 Younger Contemporary Poets. Mark Irwin, ed. Denver: Proem Press, Paperback. ISBN 978-0-9785566-4-8 (Supplied by Instructor)

Denis, Philippe. Selected Poems in French & English. (Xerox Selection)

Follain, Jean. Transparence of the World. W.S. Merwin, trans. (Xerox Selection)

Portante, Jean. Point/Erasing. Anne-Marie Glasheen, Trans. (Xerox Selection)

Rimbaud, Arthur. Illuminations. John Ashbery, trans. Mark Irwin, Alain Borer (Xerox)

Readings by Angie Estes/Philippe Denis: Thursday 31 May

Field Trips, Lectures, Activities

1) Morning visits to the Louvre, Beaubourg, Brancusi, and Rodin Museums. These museums are very crowded so we’ll go there early.

2) Visits to Musée d’Orsay, Jardin des Tuilleries, and the Picasso Museum..

3) Visit to Mont Saint Michel/ Sacre-Coeur,

4) Afternoon visits to the Cathedral de Notre Dame (if re-opened), Saint Julien Le Pauvre, Saint Chapelle, and Saint-Sulspice.

5.) Reading by Angie Estes, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, whose new book Enchantée was inspired by her work in Paris.

6.) Lecture by Alain Borer, renowned French writer and critic, on the work of Arthur Rimbaud.

7.)Students will create a blog on which they can post photographs, poems,

and translations accessible to friends and family in the U.S.

8.) Two longer days trips to Louis Vuitton Museum & or Giverny.

9.)The completion of a chapbook of 7-10 poems, which may include revisions of earlier poems. We will have a final reading at the Paris/American Academy.

10. We’ll have dinner at POLIDOR, Odeon Metro Stop, where Arthur Rimbaud

often visited with Paul Verlaine!

Grading Policy

50% Final Chapbook/ Portfolio of 7-10 finished poems, 3 of which may be older poems which were revised

15% Workshop attendance and participation in discussions

35% Completion of writing and reading assignments

The final portfolio, a chapbook of poems, with a title will be due by Tuesday, June 5, and may be submitted to the instructor in hard copy. Chapbooks must include at least 5 poems written during the student’s stay in Paris. The other poems may include older work that is extensively revised. Failure to turn in chapbook may constitute failure. Making a chap-book is easy and step-by-step instructions will be provided.

Poetry Critique Guidelines

In addition to class discussions and assignments, written critiques of student poems should be completed prior to workshops. Criticisms should ask:

1. Did the form of the poem reinforce the poem’s content?

2. Was the poem beautiful, or purposefully not beautiful? Specifically, how?

3. Did the poem use language in an original, fresh sense that heightened content?

4. Was the poem memorable? Why? How?

5. Was the point of view (or the perspective) of the subject matter compelling?

6. Were you moved by the poem?

7. Did the poem seem true, sincere? What does that mean?

8. How would you improve the poem?

9. Did the poem achieve a form of “separation” in voice, madness, or music?

10. Did the poem create tension or instill a great sense of peace through the relationship of the words to one another?

TENTATVE SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS

Most workshops will be held on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9am to 12 noon, except for major museum visits. Most major museums are closed on Tuesdays, a few on Mondays.

Week One: Diction/Syntax/Image Sweeney: “Little Wet Monster” Syllabus p.7

Monday (workshop 9-12): Alex Lemon “Boundless” F1

Read “Le Bateau Ivre” translated by Mark Irwin (pdf) F1

Read Rimbaud poems: “Sleeper in the Valley,” “The Drunken Boat”

Read 13 Poets: Laura Kasischke; Apollinaire: “Mirabeau Bridge”

Due: 5 Word Exercise (Hillman F3 Vitti F3) Merwin Selected

Afternoon: Walking tour with Mark Irwin Mirabeau Bridge: Apollinaire

Tuesday (workshop 9-12): Hillman “Till it Finishes….”

Read” A\ Pdf Apollinaire Poems

Continue Illuminations / Rimbaud Laura Kasischke: 13 Contemporary Poets

Due: 5-Word exercise

Read: 13: Mason: Home Care

Read Apollinaire/ Little Car, Zone 20th F1

Read Graham: “San Sepolcro” F2

Thursday:

Read: Mark Irwin: “The Emergency of Poetry” Essay

Read: Merwin Poems F2 Essential Merwin

Finish Rimbaud’s Illuminations 13: Donnelly: Poems

20th French Anthology: Blaise Cendrars, Pierre Reverdy (Endless Journeys)

“A Romp through Ruefleland Essay” Hillman Poem F3

Week Two: Image/Synesthesia/Music

Monday (workshop 9-12): The Prose Poem: “O Elegant Giant”

Read: Dickman, Lemon poems Essential Merwin

Read: Anthology: Breton, Eluard, Ponge Hoagland: “Jet” F2 Dickman

Due: 3 Idea Exercise / Or Variation on “Mirabeau Bridge” Goldbarth

“Stonehenge” F2

Tuesday (workshop 9-12): Sze: “Ox Head Dot”

Read: Ponge, Follain, F1 Xerox Begin Estes: Enchantee; James Tate F2

Read: 13 Poets: Greenstreet, Mason, Waldrep Irwin Essay: Ruefle

Due: Ekphrastic Poem/with counterpoint: personal narrative/philosophical quote

Wednesday: Begin 4 Day Museum Tour:

Visit Beaubourg Museum Contemporary Art

(Group Tour Beaubourg, Brancusi, Picasso Museums)

Due: start ekphrastic Exercise

Friday Morning: Versailles or Giverny Trip

Read Graham Poems F3

Week Three: Metaphor (Szymborkska: “Note”)

Monday, Tuesday (workshop 9-12): Larkin F2 Ashbery: Gizzi F4 Dialect Tribe

Read: Merwin/F2 Carson F3 Essential Merwin

Estes: “Note” / Ekphrastic Exercise poem due Irwin “In Autumn” F4

The Poetry of Witness: Milosz F3 Jabes, Forche, Graham Poems “History” F3

Witness Exercise Tracy Smith “Sci-Fi”

Tuesday (9-11) Rodin Museum Visit

Read: Notley F3 Ashbery F4 “Still Life” “Vetiver” “My Life”

Read: Rilke Poem “Archaic Torso Apollo” Lunch:

Thursday Afternoon Workshop: Graham Poeme: F4

Read Anthology: Char, Bonnefoy, Follain Poems du Bouchet, Denis F1

Due: Counterpoint Exercise / 5 Idea Exercise

Week Four/ Perspective/Point of View/Gesture

Monday (9-12 workshop) Estes: “I want to talk about you” F4

Read: Jean Portante Ruefle, ”Wilner”:Bees”F3 Tate Poems

Read: Sze F3 Notley: Allette F3

Due: Writing: All drafts of poems finished by Tuesday

Tuesday

Tuesday evening: Angie Estes Reading/Dinner

Chapbook Due

Thursday (9-12 workshop) (May 27, 11 am: Craft Lecture by Angie Estes)

Group dinner /Restaurant Le Soummam, 3 rue de la Bievre. (near Notre Dame)

Summary Workshop

Evening: Reading & Dinner

Friday evening, 6 pm: Student reading at Paris American Academy

275 rue St Jacques by workshop participants/ With Angie Estes/Mark Irwin

Chad Sweeney

Little Wet Monster

for our unborn son

The cornfield winds its halo darkly

Come home my little wet monster

Time in the copper mine, time in the copper

Come darkling soon come woe my monster

Distance shines in the ice like a flower

Come early little bornling

Before the furlight’s gone from going

Come rowing soon, come wet my monster

Before the bloodtrees bramble over

Come low my rainweed monster

Come antler through the gates my thingling

Your grapes contain the houses

Unmask the stones my darkling grief

Come whole my homeward early

You alone devour the night

Gather in your teeth, my zero

You devour the night’s holy sound

Come home my little wet monster

Logistics:

The university will contract with an experienced provider (ISA—International Studies Abroad) for professional services in Paris for assistance with logistics, health, safety, and civil affairs.

1) Students will make their own arrangements for travel to and from Paris.

2) Students will make their own arrangements for lodging in Paris. The instructor and ISA will provide resources and assistance for finding lodging. We recommend that students share apartments where they can prepare their own food.

3) Students arriving late in Paris can contact the instructor for overnight lodging.

4) Students are required to purchase and provide proof of purchase of International SOS health insurance (see ).

5) ISA will provide local assistance for medical emergencies, civil emergencies, contacts with French civil authorities, and contacts with US consular offices.

6) ISA will provide access to their offices for email, Wi-Fi, computers, internet, meeting places, and help maintain contact with USC.

7) ISA will provide an on-site local director for personal support to students, and will coordinate logistics for excursions outside of Paris.

8) Students are required at all times to have a mobile phone that functions in France.

9) Students are required to inform the instructor in advance of any departures from Paris—especially on weekends—or any absences from scheduled activities. Failure to do so will be grounds for dismissal from the program.

10) Students wishing to improve their French while in Paris will be referred to independent instructors and available resources.

11) Students should bring laptop computers and thumb-drives in order to be able to have their poems printed and copied at local internet cafes.

There will be several orientation meetings at USC during Spring 2011 which all students must attend. Many of the items listed here will be explored in detail at orientation. The students will work in teams to compose an Orientation Booklet to be distributed to the entire workshop. Start collecting your favorite Parisian bistros now.

Statement on Academic Conduct and Support Systems

Academic Conduct

     Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Section 11, Behavior Violating University Standards (see ). Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and university policies on scientific misconduct (at ). 

     Discrimination, sexual assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university. You are encouraged to report any incidents to the Office of Equity and Diversity (see ) or to the Department of Public Safety (see ). This is important for the safety whole USC community.

     Another member of the university community – such as a friend, classmate, advisor, or faculty member – can help initiate the report, or can initiate the report on behalf of another person. The Center for Women and Men provides 24/7 confidential support (see ), and the sexual assault resource center webpage describes reporting options and other resources (see sarc@usc.edu).

 

Support Systems

A number of USC’s schools provide support for students who need help with scholarly writing. Check with your advisor or program staff to find out more. Students whose primary language is not English should check with theAmerican Language Institute which sponsors courses and workshops specifically for international graduate students (see ). The Office of Disability Services and Programs provides certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange the relevant accommodations (see ). If an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible, USC Emergency Information will provide safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued by means of blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technology (see).

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download