About the Course:

This de-cal is a relaxed “reading group” style course on the gorgeous but elusive long poems of Wallace Stevens. Starting with his first book, Harmonium, as an introduction, we will read the long poems in chronological order, concentrating on one or two per class and breaking up some of the longer ones between multiple classes. We will discuss the form and shape of each poem in parts and as a whole, the differences in Stevens' use of language from poem to poem, how style changes or doesn’t change between poems, and, finally, consider what Stevens gains, or loses, by writing poems of such painful/exhilarating lengths. Sometimes, we may bring in outside media in our investigation of Stevens' artistic and philosophical sources. Also, punch and pie not guaranteed but highly likely.