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Syntax in Poems: Exploring Parataxis, Hypotaxis, and Inverted Syntax
Intermediate | Why is syntax in poetry important? Because it’s one of the necessary defining principles of the poetic line and thus one of the most powerful ways to convey meaning and to emphasize or de-emphasize meanings and emotions. In this workshop, we’ll discuss syntax in general, as well as focus on a few elements of syntax in poems—parataxis, hypotaxis, and inverted syntax. We will go through some definitions, some grammar, and read a few poems together through the lens of syntax. We’ll also generate new poems based on what we’ve learned.
Beginning Fall 2021, we will be adding select in-person classes back to our course catalog. The majority of our classes will still be offered via Zoom.
If a class says IN-PERSON in its title, it will take place in person at our permanent home in Seattle.
If a class says ASYNCHRONOUS in its title, it will take place on Wet Ink, our asynchronous learning platform.
If a class does not have a marker after its title, it will take place via Zoom.
Instructor: Victoria Chang
Class Type: 1 Session
Featured Writers, Online, PoetryTerm: Winter 2022
Start Date: 01/15/2022
Days of the Week: Saturday
Time: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm PST
Minimum Class Size: 15
Maximum Class Size: 100
$135.00
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$150.00 General Price:
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Victoria Chang
Writer and editor Victoria Chang earned a BA in Asian studies from the University of Michigan, an MA in Asian studies from Harvard University, an MBA from Stanford University, and an MFA from the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers. Her collections of poetry include Circle (2005), winner of the Crab Orchard Review Award Series in Poetry; Salvinia Molesta (2008); The Boss (2013); and Barbie Chang (2017). Her poems have been published in the Kenyon Review, Poetry, the Threepenny Review, and Best American Poetry 2005. In 2017, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Poet Susan Settlemyre Williams, reviewing Circle for the online journal blackbird, commented on the collection: "It frequently brings Randall Jarrell to mind, both in its wide range of subjects, including art, film, and history, in its many dramatic monologues, and particularly in its fundamental inquiry into the slippery nature of identity." She noted the presence of characters in liminal states and women struggling with restrictive roles, observing that Chang's "rueful wit and sense of irony undercut any sense of self-righteousness."
Chang is the editor of the anthology Asian American Poetry: The Next Generation (2004). In addition to editing, she writes children's books and teaches in Antioch University’s MFA program. She lives in Southern California with her family.