ENGL321

040503

Alexander Pope claimed that in poetry sound must seem an echo to the sense. But how exactly does this echo work? And what happens if we reverse the order and say, sense must seem an echo to the sound, as often happens in nursery rhymes, nonsense verse, experimental writing, and song lyrics? In this class, we will examine the ways in which the new and rapidly expanding field of sound studies can help us answer these and many more questions about the work of sound in, and on, literature. Sound studies combines a variety of disciplines in order to listen to the ways in which different theories and practices of sound connect with each other. It combines literature, poetics, music, performance, film studies, linguistics, acoustics, environmental studies, recording arts, history, philosophy, and more. In this class, we will deepen our knowledge about the relationship between sound and literature by listening closely to poetry, prose, songs, performances, and musical works. We will also read statements and essays that will deepen and complicate our sense of the world in and through sound. Ultimately, we will think through the ways in which literature helps us hear our environments' and each other with a critical and empathetic ear.

GRD - Regular Grades A, B, C, D, E

Undergraduate

WE - WEC (Writing Emphasis Course)