Twentieth Century

• Read works of the twentieth century, focusing on the earlier decades.
• Consider aspects of modernism (such as anxiety) in their historical context.
• Explain both the breakdown and affirmation of form and meaning in modernist literature.
• Analyze dystopian literature, considering the problems inherent in fashioning a perfect person or society.
• Explain how poems in this unit reflect on poetry itself and its possibilities.
• Examine the implications of modern versions of classical works.
• Identify and explain the musical allusions and their meanings in twentieth-century poetical works in seminars.
• Pursue focused questions in depth over the course of one or two class sessions.
• Explain absurdist and existential philosophy as it applies to literature and theatre.