RPM - Assignment 19th and 20th Century Poetry Module Overview
19th and 20th Century Poetry
Introduction
On the AP English Literature Exam, there is a full essay question focused upon poetry. Likewise, at least half of the multiple-choice questions will consist of poetry. Therefore, there is a very practical reason to study it—it’s on the exam.
However, poetry is also important to the study of literature in general, and in aesthetic debates is often considered even more central to literature than other more prose based literary genres such as the novel, short fiction, drama, and recently literary non-fiction. Poetry’s importance lies with its emphasis on economy of language and its accessibility.
Unlike a novel, or play, which often requires some temporal level of commitment poetry’s concise use of language and power in its brevity are what help to give its importance.
Poets work hard to craft specific lines, and in all of the literary genres it is the one where sound, form, rhyme, and rhythm come together the most to form a coherent whole. In the novel and even short story words still matter, but because of the breadth and length of these works, one or two misplaced words, or even whole sentences, don’t affect the overall meaning as much as with a poem.For example, Victor Hugo’s Les Miserable or Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace are both easily over one thousand words long; and both authors are known for their “sloppy writing” in two very great novels. Poetry isn’t as forgiving of a genre to compose in.
This module can be seen as a sequel to “Thee, Thou Poetry: 16th-18th Century Poetry” from the earlier or previous version of the course. However, by the time of the 19th century poetry no longer was considered the central and dominant genre of literature. Competition from the novel in the 19th century, and both the novel and film in the 20th century have made poetry re-invent itself and what poets can do with language. For this reason 19th and 20th century poems have a different focus than the seemingly endless array of sonnets from the 16th and 17th centuries, and the almost prose-like satires and reflections of the 18th century. Although there are always exceptions (i.e. Walt Whitmann’s epic grandeur), poetry starting with the Romantics starts to become a more confessional and personal genre that attempts to capture theme through concise, concrete, and focused language.
By the end of this module, you should have a grasp over the common themes of 19th and 20th century poetry, and the techniques that these poets commonly use to convey these techniques. In addition, we will continue with the aesthetic question of what makes poetry . . . poetry, and then conclude with some practical applications for the AP English Literature Exam. There is one more poetry module at the end of the course, but this one has more to do with a variation on the AP Exam format, rather than new content about poetry.
Module Lessons Preview
In this module, we will study the following topics:
Historical Contexts: This lesson will provide you with some generalizations about what to look for in poetry written since 1800.
What Makes Poetry . . . Poetry?: this lesson will continue our generalizations with special attention to the devices that separate poetry from prose, and more importantly how to address these devices on the AP English Exam.
Poetry With Other Art Forms: In order to understand theme with poetry, it is helpful to start drawing connections among various poems.
Poetry on the AP English Lit Exam: Poetry on the AP English Literature Exam: finally, we will conclude with authentic College Board examples of both multiple-choice and essay poetry questions.
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