Poetry Up Close

Poetry Up Close•soundcloud.com

Arts

Close Reading Modern 20th-Century Poetry

Last refreshed: July 16th, 2025 at 6:46 PM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Ep. 3 - Plath's "Song"

Sylvia Plath’s “Mad Girl’s Love Song” is the poem under analysis in this episode, another villanelle but one almost as far in tone and mood, emotion and understanding, as last episode’s “One Art” by Elizabeth Bishop. Bishop’s poem is referenced in juxtaposition with Plath’s as we look at erotic fascination, the illusion of self and other, and other concepts, literary and emotional. “Mad Girl’s Love Song” may be found here – https://allpoetry.com/Mad-Girl%27s-Love-Song – at AllPoetry.com. Video P...

Aug 14, 2020•18 min

Ep. 2 - Bishop's "Art"

Today’s poem is Elizabeth Bishop’s villanelle “One Art” from her The Complete Poems 1927-1979. In this episode, I discuss the form of the villanelle, give a basic lesson on meter and the iambic foot, and then line-read key areas of the poem in the style of the New Criticism. “One Art” may be found here — https://poets.org/poem/one-art — on the website of the Academy of American Poets. For a visual breakdown of the villanelle form, take a look at this from The Yellin Center: http://blog.yellincen...

Aug 02, 2020•16 min

Ep. 1 - Introduction

In this introductory episode, I discuss the purpose and direction of POETRY UP CLOSE — simply put, to “close read” modern poetry in the New Critical style to help listeners gain a more meaningful purchase on a given poem. Also, I provide a brief background on what ‘New Criticism’ is, as well as some thoughts concerning the AP English Literature & Composition exam and its relation to this style of criticism. Show Notes available on our website: https://poetryupclose.wordpress.com Suggested Re...

Jul 20, 2020•9 min

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android