This class looks at three master poets, William Wordsworth, Emily Dickinson, and Rainer Maria Rilke, closely reading some of their most famous short lyrics, to think about the essence of poetic utterance, how words gain power when put in near-magical incantatory sequence, and what we contribute as readers and literary critics.
3 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
This class looks at three master poets, William Wordsworth, Emily Dickinson, and Rainer Maria Rilke, closely reading some of their most famous short lyrics, to think about the essence of poetic utterance, how words gain power when put in near-magical incantatory sequence, and what we contribute as readers and literary critics.
Offered in Autumn 2025 at Stanford University.