Drawings by John Flaxman, engraving by William Blake. Illustrated edition of The Iliad of Homer,1805. This scene, 'Thetis entreating Jupiter to honor Achilles'.

Photo: British Library Flickr

Welcome to the LibGuide for CORE3907HN: Poetry By Design, taught by Elise Ryan, Spring 2016

Where does poetic meaning begin? With the words on the page or within the designed space of the page itself? In the eighteenth century William Blake—a poet, printer, and painter—fused poetry and design through a method he called "illuminated printing." Today, scholars term this distinct form—which relies on printed design choices to develop poetic meaning and that uses literary strategies to heighten design processes—graphic poetry. In this course, we'll examine the historical arc of this genre, beginning with Blake and then traveling through Medieval and Renaissance England, Soviet Russia, and contemporary America. We'll visit local libraries to view rare materials, engage literary and aesthetic theory, and host artists working in printing methods. All the while we'll ask key questions: How does the intersection of print, design, and poetry reconfigure the nature of interpretation? How do these texts question critical categories such as authorship, imagination, and audience? Is the printed book a distinct art form?