Course overview

The Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley famously said that ‘Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.’ This course tracks the development of English poetry, from the sonnets of Shakespeare to the contemporary poetry of Jack Underwood, Emily Berry, and Rachael Allen.

Course description

As well as considering each of the poets in isolation from week to week, we will also use the eight week course to ask ourselves: how has poetry developed through the years? What changes, and what remains the same? English Poetry from Shakespeare to today. 1. Shakespeare’s sonnets 2. Seventeenth-century: John Donne and Andrew Marvell 3. The Romantics I: Wordsworth and Coleridge 4. The Romantics II: Keats and Shelley 5. Victorians: Matthew Arnold, Emily Dickinson and Alfred, Lord Tennyson 6. Modernism and the First World War 7. Postwar: Larkin, Heaney, and others 8. Poetry today (Jack Underwood, Emily Berry, Rachael Allen). No previous knowledge of poetry is necessary – everybody is most welcome!

What financial support is available?

We don't want anything to stand in your way when it comes to bringing Adult learning within reach so if you need anything to support you to achieve your goals then speak to one of our education experts during your enrolment journey. Most of our courses are government funded but if you don't qualify or need alternative financial help to access them then let us know.

What other support is available?

All of our digital content, teaching and learning activities and assessments are designed to be accessible so if you need any additional support you can discuss this with the education experts during your enrolment journey and we will do all we can to make sure you have optimal access.

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