| The Unraveling – The Roots of Modernism – Poetry of the early 20th Century
It’s been over 100 years since the publication of T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland, a poem that continues to define the modernist era. It represented the radical changes in sensibilities and style that the times required. 1900 to the 1930s were a period of enormous social and economic upheaval. Work in biology [Darwin], physics [Einstein], psychology [Freud], and economics [Marx], challenged fundamental beliefs of social and political structure, of religion, and, indeed, of the nature of the universe and what it meant to be human. World War I, with its unthinkable devastation, added a layer of pessimism and uncertainty. It was inevitable that the turmoil of the times would lead to a rethinking of accepted conventions in the arts, including poetry. Guest presenter, Nicholas Jones, Professor Emeritus at Oberlin College where he specialized in English literature and its connection to music and the arts, will provide a context for our discussion of poems from this period. He will focus on the forces that ushered in the poetry of the modernist era - a turning away from the Romanticism of Wordsworth, Keats and Shelley. (See full Bio)) Saturday afternoon, there will be Small Group Discussions of poems chosen by our Poetry Selection Committee published between 1900 – 1939 including: · The Helmsman by H.D. · [as freedom is a breakfastfood] by e. e. cummings · Tea at the Palace of Hoon by Wallace Stevens · Spring and All by William Carlos Williams · The Wild Swans at Coole by W.B. Yeats Open Mic – Following the afternoon session, participants will have an opportunity to read one of their own poems or share a favorite poem. Sunday morning – Small Group Discussions of one of the seminal works of this period: · The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrok by T. S. Eliot Tuition: $40 Please register with the REGISTER button below. |
