Instructor: Dr. Catherine Enwright

Description.  Described by T.S. Eliot as “a work of genius”, David Jones’ In Parenthesis, a book-length modernist epic poem on World War I, remains understudied to this day. This mini-course will present an opportunity to close-read the entirety of the poem, situating it within the landscapes of modernism and World War I literature. A remarkable poetic work which commemorates the world of the ordinary WWI soldier through an experimental mix of prose and poetry and a tapestry of allusions to Welsh, Arthurian and Christian traditions, In Parenthesis invites close reading. Class sessions may begin with a short lecture or jump right into discussion, which we will divide into two forty minute sections. 

Class Structure (Length): 5 meetings on Tuesday evenings (4:30-6pm EST), roughly divided into two 40 minute sections with a ten-minute break in the middle

Text: In Parenthesis (Internet Archive) 

- If you want a hard copy, buy the Faber & Faber edition.

Meeting Times: 5/20-6/17; Tues 4:30-6 ET