LALL 822 - Haiku: Classical to Contemporary

This course is a survey of haiku poetry from its development in Japan, to its influence on American poets of the 20th century, and to its remarkable transformation into a genre that is now practiced by many poets in North America and around the world. We will approach this short, enigmatic poetic form from three perspectives. First, we will focus on understanding the craft of haiku and the use that knowledge to interpret individual poems. Second, we will study the foundations of haiku’s aesthetic principles as they developed over the centuries in Japan. And, third, we will examine the influence of Japanese haiku on such 20th century poets as Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens, and the Beat poets. Throughout the course, we will read English language haiku of contemporary North American poets, and students will write their own haiku verses.

Prerequisites & Notes
Prerequisite: LACR 102

Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs.