Why are there no sad limericks? What’s the difference between an Italian sonnet and an English sonnet? And why do they typically tell different kinds of stories? We’ll answer these questions and more in this course. Sonnets, limericks, and other poems are called “fixed forms” because they have to follow rules, like having a certain number of lines or a specific rhyme scheme. This has two consequences: (1) form influences content, and (2) poets use the limits of a “fixed form” to create meaning and beauty. Hence, the Chinese expression for “fixed forms” is “dancing in chains.” This class will cover the limerick, triolet, villanelle, and sestina. Part 2 (a separate class) will focus entirely on the sonnet.

What’s the difference between an Italian sonnet and an English sonnet? And why do they typically tell different kinds of stories? We’ll answer these questions and more in this course. Sonnets, limericks, and other poems are called “fixed forms” because they have to follow rules, like having a certain number of lines or a specific rhyme scheme. This has two consequences: (1) form influences content, and (2) poets use the limits of a “fixed form” to create meaning and beauty. Hence, the Chinese expression for “fixed forms” is “dancing in chains.” This class will focus entirely on the sonnet. (If you are interested in the limerick, triolet, villanelle, and sestina, see Dancing in Chains - Part 1.)

Have you ever read a poem and wondered what the heck is going on? Or, to paraphrase the poet T. S. Eliot, have you “had the experience but missed the meaning”? In this class you will learn eight simple steps to help you make more sense of the poems you read.

Sure, you've heard of Beethoven and Bach. We'll start there, but move quickly to some of the most glorious classical music of the 20th century, including pieces by Orff, Stravinsky, Ravel, Respighi, Gershwin, and Puccini.

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It’s been used by great poets from Shakespeare to e. e. cummings. Because it has certain rules, it poses creative challenges for any poet, but as a result can yield poems that astonish and delight. Come see how poets have met the challenges and reaped the rewards over the past 400 years.

Only 500 years ago, most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that there were only four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Come learn how five men, two supernovas, and the Black Plague changed all that.

Have you ever read a poem and wondered what the heck is going on? Or, as the poet T. S. Eliot once wrote, have you “had the experience but missed the meaning”? In this class you will learn eight simple techniques to help you make more sense of the poems you read.

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It’s been used by great poets from Shakespeare to e. e. cummings. Because it has certain rules, it poses creative challenges for any poet, but as a result can yield poems that astonish and delight. Come see how poets have met the challenges and reaped the rewards over the past 400 years.

Sure, you've heard of Beethoven and Bach. We'll start there, but move quickly to some of the most glorious classical music of the 20th century, including pieces by Orff, Stravinsky, Ravel, Respighi, Gershwin, Puccini and more!

Only 500 years ago, most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that there were only four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Come learn how five men, two supernovas, and the Black Plague changed all that.

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It’s been used by great poets from Shakespeare to e. e. cummings. Because it has certain rules, it poses creative challenges for any poet, but as a result can yield poems that astonish and delight. Come see how poets have met the challenges and reaped the rewards over the past 400 years.

Have you ever read a poem and wondered what the heck is going on? Or, to paraphrase the poet T. S. Eliot, have you “had the experience but missed the meaning”? In this class you will learn some simple ways to help you make more sense of the poems you read.

Sure, you've heard of Beethoven and Bach. We'll start there, but move quickly to some of the most glorious classical music of the 20th century, including pieces by Orff, Stravinsky, Ravel, Respighi, Gershwin, Puccini and more!

Only 500 years ago, most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that there were only four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Come learn how five men, two supernovas, and the Black Plague changed all that.

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It’s been used by great poets from Shakespeare to ee cummings. Because it has certain rules, it poses creative challenges for any poet, but as a result can yield poems that astonish and delight. Come see how poets have met the challenges and reaped the rewards over the past 400 years.

Only 500 years ago, most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that there were only four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Come learn how five men, two supernovas, and the Black Plague changed all that.

Sure, you've heard of Beethoven and Bach. We'll start there, but move quickly to some of the most glorious classical music of the early 20th century, including pieces by Orff, Stravinsky, Ravel, Respighi, Gershwin, and Puccini.

Have you ever read a poem and wondered what is going on? Or, as the poet T. S. Eliot once wrote, have you “had the experience but missed the meaning”? In this class you will learn eight simple techniques to help you make more sense of the poems you read.

Have you ever read a poem and wondered what the heck is going on? Or, to paraphrase the poet T. S. Eliot, have you “had the experience but missed the meaning”? In this class you will learn some simple ways to help you make more sense of the poems you read.

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It’s been used by great poets from Shakespeare to e. e. cummings. Because it must follow certain rules, it poses creative challenges for any poet, but as a result can yield poems that astonish and delight. Come see how poets have met the challenges and reaped the rewards over the past 400 years.

Sure, you've heard of Beethoven and Bach. We'll start there, but move quickly to some of the most glorious classical music of the 20th century, including pieces by Orff, Stravinsky, Ravel, Respighi, Gershwin, and Puccini.

About 500 years ago, most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that there were only four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Come learn how five men, two supernovas, and the Black Plague changed all that.

Poems aren't like regular speech; at first glance, they are sometimes confusing and hard to understand. But if you know how they work, you can see how powerful and beautiful many poems are. In this course we will explore simple poetic elements such as rhythm, rhyme, figures of speech, lineation, and other uses of language, then apply them to see how poems work. We will study classic poems by Shakespeare, Whitman, Dickinson, cummings, Yeats, Frost, and Eliot, as well as more contemporary works by Mary Oliver, Elizabeth Bishop, Audre Lorde, Gwendolyn Brooks, Billy Collins, and Wislawa Szymborska.

Have you ever read a poem and wondered what the heck is going on? Or, as the poet T. S. Eliot once wrote, have you “had the experience but missed the meaning”? In this class you will learn some simple techniques to help you make more sense of the poems you read.

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It’s been used by great poets from Shakespeare to e. e. cummings. Because it has certain rules, it poses creative challenges for any poet, but as a result can yield poems that astonish and delight. Come see how poets have met the challenges and reaped the rewards over the past 400 years.

Sure, you've heard of Beethoven and Bach. We'll start there, but move quickly to some of the most glorious classical music of the early 20th century, including pieces by Orff, Stravinsky, Ravel, Respighi, Gershwin, and Puccini.

Only 400 years ago, most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that there were only four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Come learn how five men, two supernovas, and the Black Plague changed all that.

Have you ever read a poem and wondered what the heck is going on? Or, as the poet T. S. Eliot once wrote, have you “had the experience but missed the meaning”? In this class you will learn some simple techniques to help you make more sense of the poems you read.

Have you ever read a poem and wondered what the heck is going on? Or, to paraphrase the poet T. ...

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It’s been used by great poets from ...

Poems aren't like regular speech; at first glance, they are sometimes confusing and hard to understand. But if you know ...

Sure, you've heard of Beethoven and Bach. We'll start there, but move quickly to some of the most glorious orchestral ...

Have you ever read a poem and wondered what the heck is going on? Or, to paraphrase the poet T. ...

500 years ago, most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that there were only four ...

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It’s been used by great poets from ...

This class is a repeat of L-589. The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. ...

Some forms of poetry are defined by various boundary conditions, resulting in interesting interactions between form and content (e.g., have ...

This is Part 2 of a two-part course, but may be taken without taking Part 1 (see L-12 above). The ...

Poems aren't like regular speech; at first glance, they are sometimes confusing and hard to understand. But if you know ...

Only 400 years ago, most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that there were only ...

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It’s been used by great poets from ...

Besides the sonnet, there are many other kinds of poems where the size and other aspects of the poem are ...

Sure, you've heard of Beethoven and Bach. We'll start there, but move quickly to some of the most glorious classical ...

Only 400 years ago, most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that there were only ...

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It

Sure, you've heard of Beethoven and Bach. We'll start there, but move quickly to some of the most glorious classical ...

Only 400 years ago, most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that there were only ...

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It’s been used by great poets from ...

Sure, you've heard of Beethoven and Bach. We'll start there, but move quickly to some of the most glorious classical ...

Only 400 years ago, most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that there were only ...

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It’s been used by great poets from ...

Only 400 years ago, most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that there were only ...

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It's been used by great poets from ...

Sure, you've heard of Beethoven and Bach. We'll start there, but move quickly to some of the most glorious classical ...

Only 400 years ago, most people thought the Earth was the center of the universe and that there were only ...

The sonnet is one of the oldest and most durable forms of poetry. It has been used by great poets ...

Poems aren't like regular speech; at first glance, they are sometimes confusing and hard to understand. But if you know ...

Poems aren't like regular speech; at first glance, they are sometimes confusing and hard to understand. But if you know ...

<CENTER> "A poem is a small or large machine made of words." -William Carlos Williams </CENTER><P> Poems aren't like regular ...

Second half of L-03.1. See above for details. Prerequisite: L-03.1

Have you ever read a poem and had no idea what it was about? Did it seem like a lot ...

Second half of L-05.1. See above for details.