Module Identifier ENM4220  
Module Title POSTMODERN POETICS AND CONTEMPORARY POETRY, 1970-1990  
Academic Year 2002/2003  
Co-ordinator Dr Peter T Barry  
Semester Semester 1  
Other staff Dr Peter T Barry, Dr Timothy S Woods  
Course delivery Seminars / Tutorials   Seminar. 2 hours per week  
Assessment Semester Assessment   Essay: 1 x 5,000 word essay    

Content

This module is intended to explore the varieties of linguistic experimentation within contemporary poetics and poetry in both North America and the United Kingdom. Since the advent of the postmodern poetics of Charles Olson in the 1950s, a whole range of alternative poetic practices set in opposition to orthodox poetries has developed, embracing sound poetries, concrete poetries, 'language' poetries, ethnic poetries, feminist poetries.

1. A Poststructuralist/Postmodern Poetics?

   Essays by Eric Mottram, Charles Bernstine, Peter Middleton, Steve McCaffrey

2. L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E Poetry and the New York Scene

   Paul Hoover (ed), Postmodern American Poetry (1994); The L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E Book, (eds.) Andrews and Bernstein

3. The Bay Area and Linguistic Expermentation

   Paul Hoover (ed) Postmodern American Poetry, (1994); The L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E Book, (eds.) Andrews and Bernstein

4. Radical Poetries in Britain I: A Class Apart

   Tony Harrison, V; Allen Fisher, The Place project

5. Radical Poetries in Britain II: Dissonant Voices

   Iain Sinclair (ed), Conductors of Chaos (1996)

Set Texts

The module wil work from the following core texts: Iain Sinclair (ed), "Conductors of Chaos" (1996); Paul Hoover (ed) "Postmodern American Poetry" (1994).

Owing to the difficulty in purchasing material from small presses which is now out-of-print, these texts will be supplemented by a brochure of selected extracts.