Little Poems: Sappho to the Beatles

Poetry has persisted since time immemorial. In this class, you’ll explore this enduring form of human expression in its many different forms.

Most of us experience literature for the first time in the form of a “little poem.” Long before we’ve tasted solid food, we’ve heard a soothing lullaby sung by a parent, and before we start school, we’ve already accumulated a storehouse of nursery rhymes.

But little poems range far beyond the nursery. Poets of every era have written them, and in this class, we will sample that remarkable history, discussing poems (all with 12 or fewer lines) from the 7th century BCE to the present—poems that tell stories, paint pictures, touch our emotions, and invite us to see the world in new ways.

The class is intended for both poetry lovers and those who have found poetry baffling or intimidating in the past and are ready for an accessible re-introduction to this enduring form of human expression.

MATERIALS LIST

Required

• Instructor-Distributed Materials

First Reading

• Please read selected poems provided by the instructor prior to the first class.