his course will investigate the relationship between works of poetry and music, focusing on certain experiments in poetry of the 20th c. which clarified the intersection of the two arts occuring in instances of both theory and practice. We will consider whether the relationship sustained accelerated development with the advent of modern technological advancements, particularly innovations in the field of recorded sound, and debate whether the expectations and role of the lyric in society have been radically altered. We will locate underpinnings for our study in Plato and Shakespeare, consider poetry of modernism's more immediate precursors, and extend a thorough discussion of modern practitioners up through the present day. As a result, tracing a line (in close reading) from T.S. Eliot to Bob Dylan, or from the French Symbolists to the Beats to freestyle hip-hop, are both critical maneuvers we might pursue.

Course packet