ENGL 4313/5013 X1 - Wanda Campbell

SPECIAL TOPICS 1
“art of words/words of art:  Canadian ekphrasis”

Defined by James Heffernan as “the verbal representation of visual representation,” the tradition of ekphrastic poetry is a long one. By looking at ekphrastic poems by a number of Canadian poets including Stephanie Bolster, Anne Carson, Anne Compton, Michael Ondaatje, Armand Ruffo, Susan Glickman and Anne Simpson, we will explore how the traditional triangle of conversation between the experience of artist, poet, and reader is extended to even more voices, a polyphony that challenges navigation and draws attention to the breakdown of hierarchical binaries by exposing the mind at work through the transformative power of metaphor.  Students will be evaluated on participation, written reports on seminal ekphrastic poems from countries other than Canada and theoretical works on ekphrasis, a seminar presentation, and a major essay or a substantial collection of original ekphrastic poems with appropriate academic apparatus. 

*This is a blended Honours and Graduate Seminar