Place Poems in Contemporary British Poetry
Any casual browsing through poetry published by British poets within the last five decades will reveal that there are plenty of poems that focus on places in Britain (mainly cities and towns, rivers, landscapes and popular sights). As Seamus Heaney points out in his lecture “The Sense of Place” (1977), such poetry goes beyond the mere visual and is imbued with rich historical associations and serves purposes of cultural identification.
Discussing place poems by well-known contemporary British poets, we will ask the following questions: How are particular places described and evoked? Which uses and senses of place become apparent here? In what ways does the poetic representation of places reflect certain traditions or relate to other media? How do the place poems respond to recent changes in our habits of experiencing, moving and dwelling in places?
A reader will be provided on Moodle.
Assessment/requirements: Übung: test; Seminar: 12-page research paper
- Kursleiter/in: Uwe Gerd Klawitter