Original brass die used for 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman on tombstone-shaped brass plate. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Feinberg-Whitman Collection, LC-DIG-ppmsca-07531. This image is in the public domain.
Instructor(s)
Prof. Mary Fuller
MIT Course Number
21L.004
As Taught In
Spring 2018
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
How do you read a poem? Intuition is not the only answer. In this class, we will investigate some of the formal tools poets use—meter, sound, syntax, word-choice, and other properties of language—as well as exploring a range of approaches to reading poetry, from the old (memorization and reading out loud) to the new (digitally enabled visualization and annotation). We will use readings available online via the generosity of the Poetry Foundation and the Academy of American Poets. We will also think collectively about how to approach difficult poems.
Other Versions
Other OCW Versions
OCW has published multiple versions of this subject. 
- 21L.004 Reading Poetry (Spring 2009)
- 21L.004 Major Poets (Fall 2005)
- 21L.004 Major Poets (Fall 2001)
Archived versions: 