Disobedience: The Defiance of Genre in Contemporary English Language Poetry

HDS 2566 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

Although herself a poet, and describing poetry as the site of contemporary writing's most intense creativity, Eileen Myles argues that "a lot of things that people like are beginning to need to happen in the same pieces of writing and those things may be gossip, theory, sexual description, or simply an implication that it's there or just happened (art)." We will explore this principled disobedience -- an aesthetic, philosophical, and perhaps also a theological act -- through the reading of important pieces by contemporary writers whose work is often classified more by the demands of the publishing industry than anything intrinsic to the texts themselves. Particular attention will be given to the work of Claudia Rankine, Maggie Nelson, Bhanu Kapil, and Kate Zambreno. The last weeks of the course will be spent on student projects leading to a substantial research paper. Enrollment will be limited to twelve students. I will ask for a written statement of your interest in the course by the beginning of the fall term in order to decide enrollment. Jointly offered in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as Religion 2492.