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John Betjeman (1906-1984) was a poet who deserves to be much better known than he is today. His poetry is an in intriguing mix of humour, sharp satire and underlying melancholy. In his lifetime, he was very much a public personality who, among other things, campaigned for the preservation of historic buildings, especially of the Victorian period (he was the man who saved the glorious St. Pancras Station in London). We will study not only his most important poems, but also some of his prose and television appearances. We are particularly going to look at his view of English society and his notions of Englishness and English culture. Please buy: John Betjeman (ed.: Andrew Motion), Collected Poems (Hodder & Stoughton).
This seminar is not only for poetry buffs. As Betjeman´s language is very accessible, this seminar would also be ideal for those who think they could do with more practice when it comes to reading and discussing poetry.
Requirements: thorough preparation for each session, active participation, and, if applicable, written work according to your particular Studienordnung. As always: think, enjoy (!), annotate, and look things up if necessary. |
