xfupoetry.cjb.net

Marita, Dept. Head

[ Thesis Guidelines | Additional Degrees | Why the Analysis? | Graduate Benefits | Graduates/Theses | Sample Work by Marita | Other Works and Miscellania | Peer Judging | General Guidelines ]

Thesis guidelines: You may submit any number of poems, and an analysis/critique for each piece to satisfy the 10K requirement. The analysis should not simply be an explanation of the "meaning" of the poem but should examine the techniques and elements behind the work. An inclusion of a discussion of your purpose is also acceptable. For more information on the college requirements, refer to the School of Fanfic General Studies Home Page.

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Additional Degrees: If I feel your work is of an exceptional quality, I will consult with other faculty members to consider graduating you with honors. For Masters or Ph.D. degrees, in addition to the length requirement (another thesis of 10K for Masters and 15K for Ph.D.), you *must* have the lower-level degree before starting on the higher-level one. However, the lower degree can be from some other department within the School of Fanfic GS. Though the analysis may be shorter in length if you are submitting many poems, keep in mind that Masters and Ph.D. degrees require more analysis; sending a bunch of poems with one-line critiques will not do. However, I will keep an open mind in reading a thesis, as this is a creative department!

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Why Submitting Poetry is Not Enough: Mostly because other graduates have to spend more time on their work (although a good piece of poetry can take as long or even longer to write). The analysis gives you a chance to demonstrate that you have spent much time on your poem. Some claim that literary analysis is less needed in poetry--as performance in reading poetry is all important to meaning. However, reading poetry out loud online is less pratical. Leon Dickenson says that "examining poetry minutely is like tearing the petals from a daisy: The parts are observed but the beautiful whole is destroyed in the process." But there are counterarguments, that no matter how much we scrutinize, the poem is still there for our enjoyment. And even though the final impression is one of totality, even the whole is made up of parts. The analysis half of the requirement is also here to assure that you understand what you are writing and not just submitting random words to obtain your degree (which nowadays can be hard to tell with "modern" poetry). Generally speaking, the essays required for the thesis are demonstrative of your knowledge of the subject, as it is less obvious in poetry than in prose.

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Graduate Benefits:

• Free forwarding E-Mail (yourname@xfupoetry.cjb.net)
• Coming soon: committee of thesis judging
• Coming soon: peer judging

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Graduate/Theses:

• Momento Modell and At the End of the Fox Hunt by Aurora Fox (Bachelor's Degree)
• Into Blindness by Darkstar (Bachelor's Degree)

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Sample Works by Marita: The works presented in Pendrell Poems are very old and outdated. More recent poetry will be posted, whether it is related to the X-Files or not. Marita is currently writing her senior thesis (a poetry collection) for her degree at the University of California, Berkeley.

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Other Works/Miscellania: Poetry is often inspired by other poetry, so I will be posting inspiring poems or other links here soon.

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Peer Judging: Feedback can be very helpful. Let others proofread and critique your work by e-mailing either the department head, the graduates, your friends, or join the XFU Poetry Forum.

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General Guidelines to Poetry: In other words, things you can discuss in your analysis:

Words

• connotations are the opposite of denotations that indicate core meaning
• words are either poetic or unpoetic- what is the difference?
• poetry, as opposed to law and science, depends on acquiring clusters of associations and suggestions
• a poet pays close attention to connotations
• connotations are not found in dictionaries- but in people's imagination

Imagery

• the poet invokes feelings and appeals to senses
• an image is a mental representation of anything not actually present to the senses
• "the sixth sense" is more important than the other five
• Figurative language is f. i.
• a metaphor "an unweeded garden that grows to seed" (Hamlet)
• a figure "fresh as a bridegroom"
• a simile "leaves are like ghosts"
• a personification "lick the valleys up" which gives inanimate things life

Rhythm

• found in prose as well as in poetry, but seems to be more regular and elaborate in the latter
• rhythm does not necessarily add meaning - but it emphasises important words

Sound

• repeated sounds important when reading aloud, and even through "the mind's ear"
• alliterations
• assonance
• rhyme
• onomatopoeia ( words copying sounds, as in "buzzing")
• rhyme common in traditional poetry, but modern poets tend to prefer a more narrative voice closer to prose

Structure

• reveals central elements as theme and motif
• arrangements of different parts to give meaning
• two principles of construction- expansion and concentration
• modern poems tend to be shorter and more simple whereas old poetry tended to be longer and more complicated

Motif

• gives an idea of what situation or state of mind is communicated

Theme

• provides the final clue to the meaning or further interpretations of underlying idea

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