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Theory and Analysis of Poetry

Code: 100243
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics OP 4
Spanish Language and Literature OP 3
Spanish Language and Literature OP 4
English Studies OP 3
English Studies OP 4
Catalan and Spanish Studies OP 3

Contact lecturer

Name :
Pere Ballart Fernandez
Email :
pere.ballart@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

Since the students have duely given evidence of having acquired the basic competences of the subject, they will need to be able to express properly their ideas both in oral and in written form. Spelling mistakes will be marked down. Coursework will have to be original work and plagiarism either partial or total will be penalised with a failure (0) in the final assessment. The students are expected to be acquainted with the basic rules of academic language and presentation, and also follow the instructions and conventions indicated by the teacher.

Objectives

The fundamental objectives of the subject are to introduce students to a theoretical reflection on the nature, evolution, forms and interpretation of the lyric poetry genre, while providing them with a series of operational concepts for discussion and analysis and, finally, to train them in the application of these theoretical tools by the reading and commentary of all kinds of poetic texts, regardless of their affiliation to one or another national literary tradition.

Learning outcomes

  1. Express ideas effectively in formal academic texts by adopting argumentative and textual procedures.
  2. Submit assignments in formats tailored to requirements and personal styles, whether carried out individually or in a small group.
  3. Seek out, choose and manage information independently, both from structured sources (databases, bibliographies, or specialist journals) and from internet searches.
  4. Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.
  5. Summarise the knowledge acquired about the origin of the various fields within the discipline and the transformations they have undergone.
  6. Argue a case regarding several literary topics and problems arising from different works and evaluate the results.
  7. Critically interpret literary works, taking into account the relationships between the different areas within literature and their relationship to humanistic, artistic and social areas.
  8. Resolve tasks on authors, methods and trends in comparative literature by drawing on knowledge of other humanistic disciplines.
  9. Identify the ancient Greco-Latin sources that have inspired artists and literati of the Western cultural tradition.
  10. Recognise the influence of the Greco-Latin literary genres and works in texts of the post-classical European literary tradition.
  11. Set a plan for working on an assignment on the subject area.
  12. Match literary texts to their corresponding genres.
  13. Match literary texts to their corresponding formal and cultural contexts.
  14. Argue a case regarding several literary topics and problems arising from different works, and evaluate the results.
  15. Solve problems related to methods of study of different literatures.
  16. Solve problems related to the theoretical foundations and the main concepts in the study of literary criticism.
  17. Solve problems related to the historical placement of literary texts.
  18. Explain the basic characteristics of the compared literary texts.
  19. Detect the degree of cohesion and coherence of the different genres and identify the factors that contribute to these and to their suitability in different contexts.
  20. Identify and explain the fundamentals of the literary communication process in each genre and those of the interpretation process based on questions and theoretical and/or practical activities.
  21. Identify and explain the basic characteristics of literary texts and the interpretation process.
  22. Identify different literary elements and their insertion in different texts and styles of discourse.
  23. Analyse literary texts using the different concepts and methods of comparative literature.
  24. Critically interpreting literary works taking into account the relationships between the different areas of literature and its relationships with human, artistic and social areas.
  25. Arguing about several issues and literary problems for the purpose of different works and the assessment of the results.
  26. Present written work or oral presentations on the main concepts of literary theory.
  27. Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
  28. Explaining the basic characteristics of comparative literary texts.
  29. Identify and explaining the basic foundations of the process of literary communication in every genre and the interpretation process from questions and theoretical and/or practical activities.
  30. null
  31. Use traditional sources to collect, classify, interpret and analyse relevant data related to the study of literary theory.
  32. Use digital tools to obtain, classify, interpret and analyse relevant data related to the study of literary theory.
  33. Express oneself effectively by applying argumentative and textual procedures in formal and scientific texts.
  34. Critically interpret literary works taking into account the relationships between the different fields of literature and their relationship with human, artistic and social areas.
  35. Argue on various literary themes and problems in relation to different works and evaluate the results.
  36. Use digital tools to obtain, classify, interpret and analyse relevant data related to the study of literary theory.
  37. Effectively communicate and apply the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
  38. Critically interpret literary works take into account the relationships between different areas of literature and its relationships with human, artistic and social areas.
  39. Argue about several issues and literary problems for the purpose of different works and the assessment of the results.
  40. Solve problems about writers, methods and currents of comparative literature, connecting them with knowledge of other humanistic disciplines.
  41. Use the skills acquired with autonomy.
  42. Solving problems related to the study of different literatures.

Contents

0. THE PLACE OF A THEORY OF POETRY

1. AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF THE POETIC VOICE

2. POETICS OF LYRICS

3. POETIC LANGUAGE

3.1 DIFFICULTY

3.2 ANALOGY

4. THE THEME

5. THE VOICE AND TONE



Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Master classes with ICT support and debate in a large group 45 1.8
Comprehensive and critical reading of literary and theoretical texts. Realization of schemes, conceptual maps and summaries. Realization of works and text comments. 75 3
Individual presentations. Reviews or course work (individual or group) carried out with the help of a tutor 22.5 0.9

The coursework for this subject is distributed as follows:


- Directed activities (30%). Master classes with ICT support and debate in a large group.

- Supervised activities (15%). Individual presentations. Reviews or course work (individual or in group) will be carried out with the help of a tutor.

- Autonomous activities (50%). Comprehensive and critical reading of literary and theoretical texts. Realization of schemes, conceptual maps and summaries. Realization of works and text comments.

-Evaluation (5%). Commentaries of texts in the classroom.


15 minutes of a class will be reserved, within the timetable established by the centre/title, for the complementation by the students of the assessment surveys of the teaching staff's performance and the assessment of the subject.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Commentary of text in the classroom 40 % 1.5 0.06 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42
Analysis and discussion of theoretical texts on the subject and application of its methodological and conceptual principles. 20 % 4.5 0.18 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42
Theoretical exam in the classroom. 40 % 1.5 0.06 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42

The evaluation of the course will be carried out primarily through two final tests: there will be (1) a theoretical exam with a proportional value of 40% of the final grade and (2) a practical exam (commentary of text) with the value of another 40%. The remaining 20% will correspond to a written exercise that students will have been requested to submit during the course. Also, the final grade may be susceptible to an upward correction, as long as the student has actively participated in the sessions of the course.

Students will obtain a Not assessed/Not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items. Only students who have been previously evaluated in a set of activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of 2/3 of the total grade and who have obtained a minimum grade of 3.5 in the average of the course can be submitted to the recovery of the course. This one will take place at the end of the semester and will consist of a single test, on the basis of the previously failed exam(s). On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle or e-mail) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject (copy, unauthorized use of AI, etc.), the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.


UNIQUE ASSESSMENT

This subject contemplates the possibility of a single evaluation of its contents, on a date coinciding with the completion of the last test of the continuous assessment. It will consist of the sum of three different pieces of evidence: a theoretical examination, the interpretive commentary of a poetic text and the reasoned analysis of a critical fragment on a given poem. These three pieces of evidence will have a respective weight of 30, 40 and 30 percent of the final overall mark. The same assessment method as continuous assessment will be used.

Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHY


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1999 Teorías sobre la lírica, Madrid, Arco /Libros.

ABRAMS, M. H.

1974 El espejo y la lámpara, Barcelona, Barral.

AZÚA, Félix de

1979 Baudelaire y el artista de la vida moderna, Barcelona, Anagrama.

BALLART, Pere

1998 El contorn del poema, Barcelona, Quaderns Crema. (V. espanyola: El contorno del poema, Barcelona, El Acantilado, 2005.)

2007 El riure de la màscara, Barcelona, Quaderns Crema.

2011 La veu cantant, Lleida, Pagès Editors.

BERLIN, Isaiah

2000 Las raíces del romanticismo, Madrid, Taurus.

BOUSOÑO, Carlos

1962 Teoría de la expresión poética, Madrid, Gredos, 1970.

BROOKS, Cleanth i WARREN, Robert Penn

1960 Understanding Poetry, Nova York, Holt, Rinehart & Wilson.

COOK, Jon (ed.)

2004 Poetry in Theory. An Anthology 1900-2000, Oxford, Blackwell.

CULLER, Jonathan

1978 La poética estructuralista, Barcelona, Anagrama.

2015 The Theory of the Lyric, Harvard, Harvard University Press.

EAGLETON, Terry

2010 Cómo leer un poema, Madrid, Akal.

FERRATÉ, Joan

19822 Dinámica de la poesía, Barcelona, Seix Barral.

FRIEDRICH, Hugo

1959 Estructura de la lírica moderna, Barcelona, Seix Barral.

FURNISS, Tom i BATH, Michael

1996 Reading Poetry. An Introduction, Londres, Prentice Hall.

GARCÍA, Álvaro

2005 Poesía sin estatua. Ser y no ser en poética, Valencia, Pre-Textos.

GARCÍA FAET, Berta

2023 El arte de encender las palabras. La dimensión conmovedora de la poesía, València, Barlin Libros.

GARCÍA MONTERO, Luis

2000 El sexto día. Historia íntima de la poesía española, Madrid, Debate.

GIL DE BIEDMA, Jaime

1980 El pie de la letra, Barcelona, Crítica.

GUERRERO, Gustavo

1998 Teorías de la lírica, Mèxic, FCE.

HAMBURGER, Michael

1969 La verdad de la poesía, Mèxic, FCE, 1991.

HERRNSTEIN SMITH, Barbara

1971 Poetic Closure. A Study of How Poems End, Chicago, Chicago University Press.

HOMANS, Margaret

1980 Women Writers and Poetic Identity, Princeton, Princeton University Press.

JACKSON, Virginia & PRINS, Yopie

2014 The Lyric Theory Reader: A Critical Anthology, Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press.

JULIÀ, Jordi

2016 Poesia i identitat. Formes de despersonalització en la lírica moderna, València, Alfons el Magnànim.

KRISTEVA, Julia

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LINDLEY, David

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MAILLARD, Chantal

1992 La creación por la metáfora. Introducción a la razón poética, Barcelona, Anthropos.

MARÍ, Antoni (ed.)

2010 Matemática tiniebla (Poe, Baudelaire, Mallarmé, Valéry, Eliot), Barcelona, Galaxia Gutenberg.

MARTÍ I POL, Miquel

2000 Què és poesia?, Barcelona, Empúries.

MEDEL, Elena

2018 Todo lo que hay que saber sobre poesía, Barcelona, Ariel.

NÚÑEZ RAMOS, Rafael

1992 La poesía, Madrid, Síntesis.

OLLER, Dolors

2011 Accions i intencions. Estratègies de lectura i assaigs de poètica, Barcelona, Empúries.

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OSTRIKER, Alicia

1986 Stealing the Language. The Emergence of Women's Poetry in America, Boston, Beacon Press.

PAZ, Octavio

1956 El arco y la lira, Mèxic, FCE.

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PERLOFF, Marjorie

1985 The Dance of the Intellect. Studies in the Poetry of the Pound Tradition, Evanston, Illinois, Northwestern University Press.

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PFEIFFER, Johannes

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PREMINGER, Alex i BROGAN, T. V. F. (eds.)

1993 Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, Princeton UP.

RICH, Adrienne

2005 Artes de lo posible. Ensayos y conversaciones, trad. de María Soledad Sánchez Gómez, Madrid, Horas y Horas.

RICHARDS, I. A.

1929 Crítica práctica, Madrid, Visor, 1991.

SCHOLES, Robert

1969 Elements of Poetry, Nova York, Oxford UP.

1982 Semiotics and Interpretation, New Haven, Conn., Yale University Press.

STAIGER, Emil

1967 Conceptos fundamentales de poética, Madrid, Rialp.

STEWART, Susan

2002 Poetry and the Fate of Senses, Chicago, Chicago University Press.

SZYMBORSKA, Wislava

2018 Correo literario, Madrid, Nórdica Libros.

TORRES MONREAL, Francisco

2019 Introducción básica a la poesía, Madrid, Cátedra.

VENDLER, Helen

2002 Poems, Poets, Poetry. An Introduction and Anthology, Boston, Bedford Books.

VIDAL, Blanca Llum

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ZAMBRANO, María

2011 Claros del bosque, Madrid, Cátedra.

Software

The course will not have any specific computer requirements.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed