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English Literature: The Rhythms of English Verse by Professor Ad Putter, The University of Bristol
15th November 2013 @ 11:20 - 12:20
The aim of this talk is to help students to appreciate the rhythmical dimension of poetry, including poetry from earlier periods.
Questions covered include: why does rhythm matter? How do I scan a piece of verse? What do technical terms like iambic, trochaic, etcetera mean? How do poets who write in a fixed metre avoid monotony?
After a talk, the floor will be opened for questions; in the light of the talk a short poem, ‘Break, Break, Break’ (Alfred Lord Tennyson) will be discussed. Students are asked to read this in advance of the session, and to think about what is unusual and/or effective about its rhythm.
The session will help students analyze poetry more effectively, and give some insight into how poetry is taught at University.
Biography: Professor Ad Putter
Suitable for: Year 12/Year 13
Preparation/Pre-reading: As mentioned above students are asked to read Tennyson’s ‘Break, Break, Break’ which is available here. It would also be helpful for students to consider questions in advance relating to studying this subject at university. These questions may cover, for example, the application process, course structure, and university lifestyle.