The poet Robert Duncan refers to the idea of "The Truth and Life of Myth" in his book Fictive Certainties . For Duncan myth itself is seen as a particular way of thinking and feeling in language that encompasses both narrative and visual image, story and light. How does myth unite these energies in a primary way? What is mytho-poetic thinking and how does one catch its wave? How can "the truth and life of myth" (as opposed to mere allusion) be drawn from for our own writing, be it in poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction? Readings will include Roberto Calasso's The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, Raul Zurita’s Inri, and Alice Notley’s The Descent of Alette , as well as excerpts from Ezra Pound and H.D. Myths from Ancient Greece to Mesopotamia to the Pre-Columbian World will be considered. The program will also feature a weekly series of films that incorporate the action of myth, from directors like Maya Deren, Apichatpong Weerasathakul, and Pier Paolo Pasolini. The class involves both critical and creative wiring, as well as an independent project in which students are asked to explore and create a new version of a particular myth of their choosing.
This program is coordinated with Greener Foundations for first-year students. Greener Foundations is Evergreen’s in-person 2-quarter introductory student success course sequence, which provides first-year students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive at Evergreen. Students expected to take Greener Foundations will be prompted to register for a 2-credit Greener Foundations course in addition to this 14-credit program during registration. Students will be prompted to register for Greener Foundations with their new winter program to complete the 4-credits of Greener Foundations.
Fall Anticipated Credit Equivalencies
8 - Poetics
8 - Creative Writing (6 credits for students in the 14 credit first year section)
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Academic Details
the humanities; poetics; writing