English 250

Other Readings and Media

Nietszche, F.: Beyond Good and Evil; Wittgenstein, L.: Philosophical Investigations; Wittgenstein, L.: On Certainty; Eliot, T.S.: Collected Poems; Eliot, T.S.: Knowledge and Experience in the Work of F.H. Bradley; Pound, E.: Gaudier-Brzska; Pound, E.: The Cantos of Ezra Pound; Pound, E: Personae; Stevens, W.: Stevens: Collected Poetry and Prose

Description

This course will study relations between three modernist poets and some modern philosophers. We will be concerned primarily with how the philosophers help provide a perspective for interpreting and assessing what the poets can achieve by their refusals of representational ideals for their art. I will be less interested in poetry as philosophy (or philosophy as poetry) than in what we say about imaginative possibilities for writing through our concern with some philosophical texts.

When we deal with poetry there will be weekly reports and responses by sections of the class and there will be a final paper. When we deal with philosophy participants will be required to present questions and challenges.