Wednesdays

9:30 - 11:00 a.m. EST

In-person at BCC

4/12, 4/19, 4/26,
5/3, 5/10, 5/17

Six Sessions 

Limit: 25

"Scorn not the sonnet," advised William Wordsworth to critics skeptical of this deceptively simple verse form. Poets have dwelt in these "narrow rooms" of poetic rhetoric for 800 years, making the sonnet one of the most enduring forms of poetry. What is it about this paradoxically restrictive, yet expansive form that could account for its popularity and value? In this course, we will discuss sonnet form and how knowledge of that structure enhances our understanding and appreciation of the rich range of emotions and themes explored through centuries of poets within these "prim borders" (Rita Dove). I will facilitate lively discussion of the sparkling language used by poets from Shakespeare to Claude Mackay to Robert Frost and many others, as we explore together this tiny wonder described so aptly by essayist Anne Fadiman: “A sonnet might look dinky, but it is somehow big enough to accommodate love, war, death, and O.J. Simpson. You could fit the whole world in there if you shove hard enough.”

Mary Ellen Verdi is a recently retired English and Humanities teacher, still teaching part time for Elms College, her alma mater. She is a longtime Berkshire County resident, active in numerous choral groups, including the Cantilena Chamber Choir, Crescendo, and the Berkshire Opera Festival. Mary's passion is discussing literature and language from a variety of inter-related perspectives, focusing on the universal and personal power of literature.

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