Media, film, theatre: American Poetry in Polish Translation

Contact hours with the teacher:

- participation in classes - 30 hrs

Self-study hours:

- preparation for classes - 25 hrs

- preparation for the tests - 20 hrs

Altogether: 75 hrs (3 ECTS)

The student

W1: The student demonstrates in-depth, structured knowledge of English-language poetry and related cultural issues, supporting literary and translational analysis (K_W09).

The student

U1: independently develops research skills and deepens knowledge of poetry in source and target languages, using advanced information and communication technologies to conduct and present research (K_U04).

U2: discusses American poetry in Polish translation and helps peers identify learning goals and strategies for continued literary and translational development (K_U10).

Expository teaching methods: discussion, description

Exploratory teaching methods: seminar, points system

American Poetry in Polish Translation

The seminar focuses on the experience of reading and the processes of translating American poetry. A selection of poems from the 19th to the 21st century will be explored in class in the context of social and literary history. We will also address the reception and translation of American poetry into Polish.

List of topics

Week 1 Introduction: Why read poetry? Why translate poetry?

Week 2 How to read poetry? Selected poems of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman

Week 3 How to translate poetry? Selected poems of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman in translation

Weeks 4-5 selected poems by Robert Frost; his poetry in translation

Weeks 6-7 selected poems by Langston Hughes; his poetry in translation

Week 8 Summary and midterm test

Weeks 9-10 Discussion of the test; selected poems by Elizabeth Bishop; her poetry in translation

Weeks 11-12 selected poems by Gwendolyn Brooks and their translations

Weeks 13-14 selected poems Louise Gluck and Carmine di Biase, their poetry in translation; summary

Week 15 Final test.

Required reading:

• Academy of American poets. https://www.poets.org/

• Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/

• Glossary of Poetic Forms. https://poets.org/glossary.

Other sources, for example:

Analyze ANY Poem With These Steps!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3x-g5qRCYw

Level Up Your Poetry Reading | Understanding Difficult Poems

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv6OA3QBRLM

How to Analyze a Poem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idiQ6WAOWV0

What makes a poem … a poem? - Melissa Kovacs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwhouCNq-Fc

How to Analyse An Unseen Poem (using TWISTUP)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEJQmS6meOg

Everything you need to write a poem (and how it can save a life) | Daniel Tysdal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0BUYzMypi8

How to translate poetry

https://blog.homeforfiction.com/2020/04/12/how-to-translate-poetry-rhyme-meter-affect-meaning/

Translation of Poetry

https://www3.uji.es/~aferna/H44/Translating-poetry.htm

How to Translate a Poem - Japanese

Stephen Spender Prize

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kza6DYijd_U

Additional reading:

• Barańczak, Stanisław. 2018. Tablica z Macondo.

• Fry, S. 2007. The ode less travelled.

• Glencoe Literature. American Literature. 2000.

• Jarniewicz, Jerzy. 2018. Tłumacz między innymi.

• Parini, J. 2011. “Ten best American poems. “ https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2011/mar/11/best-american-poems

Assessment methods:

- mid-term test and final test – 40% of the final grade (2x20 points)– W1, U1

- graded involvement in class – 60% of the final grade (12x5 points)– U2

Assessment criteria:

fail – 0-59 %

satisfactory – 60-69 %

satisfactory plus – 70-75 %

good – 76-85 %

good plus – 86-90 %

very good – 91-100 %

Not applicable