This seminar will examine the poetry of the late Victorian period, tracing the development of the spirit of decadence from Rossetti and Swinburne to Oscar Wilde and Yeats. We will examine some of the moral, ethical, romantic and aesthetic problems facing the aesthetic and decadent poetry. In addition to the spirit of the end-of-century weariness, we will examine the continuing development of poetic forms, such as the sonnet sequence and the dramatic monologue, particularly in their relation to the social and moral issues of the period.


PRIMARY TEXTS:
The readings will be available on the Virtual TAU site.

SEMINAR REQUIREMENTS:
In addition to a referat, students will be expected to present a poem from the schedule in class and discuss it in relation to the general topic of the seminar. This presentation, in outline form, will be submitted in writing to the instructor before the class. The grade will also be composed of active class participation.