Poetry and Punctuation

W.S. Merwin abandoned punctuation, declaring that it “seems to staple the poem to the page.” Emily Dickinson, on the other hand, famously said that a real poem caused her hair to stand up on her head—and Emily was queen of the dash and other well-placed marks on the page. We'll examine a range of poems by classical and contemporary poets, giving our attention over to punctuation that serves as enlightening notation and guiding signage. We’ll also consider the freedoms and risks inherent to unpunctuated space. Come prepared to enter sentences and their elements.