22. W. H. Auden

Modern Poetry (ENGL 310) with Langdon Hammer

This lecture presents the early poetry of W.H. Auden. In "From the Very First Coming Down," Auden's relationship to the reader is considered, as well as the role of economy, truth, and morality in his poetics. The political Auden is examined in "Spain" and "September 1, 1939," along with his later practice of revising controversial poems. Finally, his interest in traditional forms, his vision of love, and his characteristic perspectivism, are explored in "This Lunar Beauty" and "As I Walked Out One Evening."

00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction: Wystan Hugh Auden
04:57 - Chapter 2. The Early W. H. Auden
12:08 - Chapter 3. W. H. Auden Poem: "From the Very First Coming Down"
20:39 - Chapter 4. W. H. Auden Poem: "Spain"
24:09 - Chapter 5. W. H. Auden Poem: "September 1, 1939"
30:58 - Chapter 6. W. H. Auden Poems: "This Lunar Beauty" and "Lullaby"
36:31 - Chapter 7. W. H. Auden Poem: "As I Walked Out One Evening"

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://oyc.yale.edu

This course was recorded in Spring 2007.