E E Cummings and Stevie Smith

About this course

The course examines selected poems by E E Cummings and Stevie Smith, considering how their distinctive styles shape a reader’s response. Discussion will include Cummings’s carefully crafted, apparently whimsical writing and Smith’s surreal, sometimes emotionally forceful poetry. Tutor explanation and group discussion are used to explore poetic devices and techniques, including imagery, structure, form, rhyme, rhythm and tone. Learners may also choose to read one of the poems to the class after receiving the texts in advance.

What you'll learn

• Identify and discuss the use of metaphor, simile and alliteration in poetry
• Explain how rhyme and rhythm contribute to a poem’s effects
• Analyse how imagery, structure, form and tone shape a response to poetry
• Read and discuss poems with greater confidence

Is this course right for you?

This introductory course is intended for learners with no previous knowledge or experience of literature. It involves tutor explanation, group discussion and the sharing of individual responses to poems. An enthusiasm for reading and discussing poetry would suit the course, and learners may volunteer to read a poem aloud to the class.

• No previous literature knowledge or experience is required
• Participation includes group discussion and sharing responses
• No preparation is required beyond choosing whether to read a supplied poem

Before you go

• Poems and other course materials will be provided electronically beforehand and on paper at the session.
• A pen is helpful.