CLCV 26722 The Art of Talking Trash
Whether they are attacking personal enemies, poetic rivals, or political antagonists, sometimes poets are just plain mean. In this course we will begin by focusing on the art of talking trash in ancient Greek and Roman poetry, before moving on to examine other traditions and examples of invective poetry. We will consider a variety of different genres and traditions of invective, including ancient lyric and curse poetry, comedy and satire both ancient and modern, and contemporary genres such as hip-hop and Lebanese Zajal. In each case, we will study the formal features of the poetry and consider the specific contexts in which it was created, the individual(s) by whom it was created and at whom it was directed, and to what ends. We will also investigate broader themes and purposes of invective poetry, such as the advancement of notions of (often toxic) masculinity, the control of social norms, and the articulation of political protest.