Cartoon drawing of man holding sign that reads Hildebidle. (Image courtesy of John Hodgen.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. John Hildebidle
MIT Course Number
21L.704
As Taught In
Fall 2002
Level
Undergraduate
Translated Versions
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
The landscape we will explore is the troublesome one of the relevance, impact, and importance of poetry in a troubled modern world. We will read both poetry and prose by several substantial modern writers, each of whom confronted the question that is the subject's title.
Other Versions
Other OCW Versions
OCW has published multiple versions of this subject. 
- 21L.704 Studies in Poetry: 20th Century Irish Poetry: The Shadow of W. B. Yeats (Spring 2008)
- 21L.704 Studies in Poetry: From the Sonneteers to the Metaphysicals (Spring 2006)
- 21L.704 Studies in Poetry: "What's the Use of Beauty?" (Fall 2005)
- 21L.704 Studies in Poetry - British Poetry and the Sciences of the Mind (Fall 2004)
- 21L.704 Studies in Poetry: Gender and Lyric -- Renaissance Men and Women Writing about Love (Spring 2003)