“PARADIGM FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA“: VILLANELLES AND THE POETRY OF OBSESSION

In the words of Stephen Fry, the villanelle form “seems to appeal to outsiders, or those who might have cause to consider themselves as such.” Criminally underutilized, the villanelle seeks to emphasize the obsessive nature of love, loss, and maddening frustration – both in humor and in earnest. From its archaic origins in Medieval Spain as a choral poem to its resurgence amongst the confessional poets with Sylvia Plath, the reaches of the villanelle span a wide spectrum in both form and content. This workshop-focused class will seek to illuminate a form forgotten by time with a special emphasis on gothic themes within the villanelle – the spooky, morbid, obsessive epoch of literature that slots perfectly within the form’s framework.

About the Presenter

Emily Wilson is an English literature graduate student at ETSU, graduating in the spring of 2024. Her poetry has been published in ETSU’s creative writing magazine The Mockingbird, of which she is currently serving as the co-executive editor with Jake Lawson, and the Poetry Society of Tennessee’s 2022-2023 edition, where she won first place in the ETSU student competition for her poem “après moi, le déluge.” She has an interest in gothic and formal poetry, particularly the villanelle. Her favorite poet is Robert Browning.

MEETING INFORMATION

This program will be presented during our upcoming PST member meeting, to be held (date and time) via Zoom. Members will be provided a link a few days prior. If you are interested in learning more about PST, check out our website. If you’d like to attend our meeting as a guest, contact us at poetrytennessee@gmail.com.