Tracing Intertexts – (I)
In this video, Dr Hannah Roche traces the intertextual relationship between Sylvia Plath, Amy Lowell, and Andrew Marvell through tulips… Read the poems Dr Hannah Roche mentions in the links …
Course: Poetry: How to Read a Poem
A poet on form
In this article, the poet Penny Boxall examines what form means to her. There’s something monumental-feeling about this topic, as though I’d been asked to explain ‘Stonehenge’ or ‘gravity’. How …
The Classical Tradition Today
In this video, Dr Kenneth Clarke explores the links between the classical tradition of poetry and poetry today. Dr Clarke examines one of his favourite poems, ‘Song of the Women …
Summing up Week One
In this video, Dr Alexandra Kingston-Reese sums up Week One of our course, ‘How to Read a Poem’. We hope you have enjoyed the ground covered so far… and there …
Dr Shazia Jagot on her favourite poem
In this video, Dr Shazia Jagot discusses her favourite poem, ‘Tea with our grandmothers’ by Warsan Shire, from her collection Teaching my mother how to give birth. In Dr Jagot’s …
Introducing Week Two
In this video, Dr Alexandra Kingston-Reese introduces the material we will focus on in Week Two. This week, we will learn about various different forms of poetry, and how to …
A very short introduction to intertextuality
In this video, Dr Shazia Jagot gives a very short introduction to intertextuality. Is there anything from the video here that particularly resonates with you? Let us know in the …
If you’ve enjoyed Week Four…
In this article, Dr JT Welsch points out some further avenues of creative exploration for your own poetry writing. This week, you’ve had tips on how to approach writing about …
Summing up week four
Dr Alexandra Kingston-Reese, our course convener, sums up the material that we have covered in week four of our course, ‘How to Read a Poem’. This week, we’ve explored writing …
How to read – and enjoy – a poem – Vahni Capildeo
The University of York is very proud to host Vahni Capildeo, one of the world’s most influential contemporary poets, as our writer-in-residence. To start us off, Vahni Capildeo talks about …
Introducing Week Three’s materials
In this video, Dr Alexandra Kingston-Reese introduces the material we will cover this week. We will be focussing on intertextuality: the relationships between poems, and how poets and poems speak …
The Old Norse Tradition
In this article, Professor Matthew Townend discusses Old Norse poetry, providing us with an insight into the workings of this ancient tradition, and its uses. The Old Norse Tradition In …
Shakespeare and ekphrasis
Note: this article, by Professor Helen Smith, discusses Shakespeare’s long poem, The Rape of Lucrece, and mentions both Tarquin’s rape of Lucrece and Lucrece’s suicide. Though the article does not …
Refashioning the sonnet
The Sonnet Refashioned: Muldoon’s Maggot – Professor Derek Attridge In this step, we move from tradition in its broadest sense to an example of how one poet has taken on …
A very short history of poetic tradition
In this video, Professor Derek Attridge discusses the history of poetic tradition, and outlines how poetry engages, adapts, and subverts these different traditions. Starting with the epic, one of the …
