Fall 1992
Poetics
Charles Bernstein
Thursdays, 12:30 to 3:10
438 Clemens Hall
1. (Aug. 27) Introductions / Wittgenstein
Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations (Required at TL)
2. (Sept. 3) Cavell on Wittgenstein
"The Availability of Wittgenstein's Later Philosophy"" (from Must We Mean What
We Say): Xerox (hereafter X)
Ch. 2 of Conditions Handsome and Unhandsome (req. at TL & on reserve in
Lockwood)
3. (Sept. 10) Cavell
This New Yet Unapproachable America (req. at TL & on reserve)
4. (Sept. 17) Cavell Visit
Cavell's public talk is on Wednesday Sept. 16 at 4pm in 420 Capen Hall. As
supplemental reading, note that Cavell's In Quest of the Ordinary is on
reserve
Note two highly recommended poetry readings:
Bernadette Mayer & Robert Creeley, Monday 9/21 evening at Unitarian Church
Eric Mottram, Weds. 9/23 at 4pm in 420 Capen
5. (Sept. 24) Cavell
Senses of Walden (Req. at TL & on reserve)
H. D. Thoreau, Walden (Harding ed. at TL)
6. (Oct. 1) Mottram on Bunting
First of three lectures by / discussions with Eric Mottram.
Basil Bunting, Collected Poems (req. at TL and on reserve)
Recommended by Eric Mottram: Blood on the Nash Ambassador: Investigations in
American Culture (on reserve), plus numerous books by Mottram in Poetry
Collection and whatever is available at TL.
7. (Oct. 8) Mottram on MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid, Complete Poems (on reserve; possibly X)
Note David Antin talk Oct. 8 at 8pm: his Tuning & early Selected Poems are
recommended for this course and his work may be used for weekly response or
final paper. Antin will also be a focus of the Spring seminar I'll be doing
with Dennis Tedlock.
8/9. (Oct. 15 & 22) Susan Stewart
Stewart will lecture Wed. 10/28 at 4 and visit the seminar 10/29
Nonsense (req. at TL)
Edward Lear, Complete Nonsense
Lewis Carroll
Recommended by Stewart: On Longing (on reserve and at TL) and Crimes of
Writing (on reserve and at TL). X of one or two essays will be distributed.
Note Ernesto Grosman's talk on "The Poetics of the Americas" at 3:30 Oct. 22
in 540 Clemens.
10. (Oct. 29) Mottram on Jones
David Jones, In Parenthesis (req. at TL & on reserve)
Recommended: Anathemata (on reserve and at TL)
Note Norman Austin lecture Nov. 4 at 4pm in 420 Capen on "The Helen-Eidolon
Myth in Antiquity and in H.D."
11. (Nov. 5) Weininger
Otto Weininger, Sex and Character (on reserve)
The new film "Weininger" will be shown, with an introduction by Neil Schmitz,
location to be announced (prob. 120 Clemens). Discussion will follow in 438
Clemens.
12. (Nov. 12) Rosmarie Waldrop on Jabes
Edmond Jabes: From the Book to the Book: An EJ Reader (req at TL)
or Book of
Questions (on reserve)
Waldrop, Reproduction of Profiles (req. at TL)
Recommended: Waldrop books in Poetry Collection
Waldrop will read on Nov. 11 at 4 and come to seminar Nov. 12.
13. (Nov. 19) Hannah Mockel-Rieke
Hannah Mockle-Rieke will give a talk entitled "From Revision of History to
Forged Histories", dealing with the past in contemporary American poetry.
Xeroxed readings will be provided midsemester.
14. (Dec. 3) Last Class
Reserve Books
Basil Bunting -- Collected Poems PR 6003. U36 A 17 1978
Stanley Cavell --
Conditions Handsome and Unhandsome PS 1642.P5 1990b
In Quest of the Ordinary PS 217.P45 C38 1988
The Senses of Walden PS 3048 .C3
This New Yet Unapproachable America B945.C273 1989
David Jones -- In Parenthesis -- PR 6019.053 I6 1937
Anathemata -- PR 6019.053 A8
Edmond Jabes -- First Book of Questions PQ 2619.A112 l513 v.1
Hugh MacDiarmid -- Collected Poems PR 6013.R735 A17 1967
Eric Mottram -- Blood on the Nash Ambassador: Investigations in American
Culture E169.1 .M88 1989
Susan Stewart -- Crimes of Writing -- on order
Nonsense P302.S69
On Longing P302.S692 1984
Otto Weininger -- Sex and Character HQ 21 .W5 1906
Books at Talking Leaves--Required
Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations
Stanley Cavell--
Conditions Handsome and Unhandsome
This New Yet Unapproachable America
Senses of Walden
Basil Bunting, Collected Poems
Hugh MacDiarmid, Complete Poems, vol 2 (as vol 1 is o/p)
David Jones, In Parenthesis
Susan Stewart -- Nonsense
Edward Lear, Complete Nonsense
Rosmarie Waldrop -- Reproduction of Profiles
Edmond Jabes -- From the Book to the Book: An EJ Reader