Vertiefungsseminar The Song Remains the Same Song Lyrics and Poetry Blockseminar

Please note that this is a block seminar, taking place in the second week of October.   -[S]ongs, to me, were more important than just light entertainment. They were my preceptor and guide into some altered consciousness of reality, some different republic, some liberated republic.- -- Bob Dylan, Chronicles, Vol. 1   -Songs remain. They last. The right song can turn an emperor into a laughing-stock, can bring down dynasties. A song can last long after the events and the people in it are dust and dreams are gone. That's the power of songs.- -- Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys   While the popularity of poetry has faded more and more during the 20th century, songs have conversely risen to become a central part of our public consciousness. However, most people listening to songs these days are unaware of the rich poetic tradition a lot of these songs are steeped in. Be it pop, rock, hip hop or genres from the more alternative fields of the wide landscape of modern-day music, the debt of lyrics-oriented music to the vast history of poetry is undeniable.   In this seminar, we will take a closer look at both the intertextual references present in song lyrics today and, more importantly, the poetic traditions that pervade them. In the process, we will analyse not only a varied selection of modern song lyrics, but also some of their earlier forms as well as examples from poetic genres that clearly had a strong influence on the way modern song lyrics are written. An online reader featuring song lyrics, poems as well as secondary literature will be provided by the start of the semester. Voraussetzungen The seminar is open to BA students who have completed Basic Module III (Literary Studies). Anglistik u.Amerikanistik (BA, PO 2013) Kernfach The seminar is open to BA students who have completed Basic Module III (Literary Studies). Universität Düsseldorf WiSe 2016/17 Ondrazek Sven