University Open Air:Second part –The poetic and the prosaic: subverting good tastes in French and Francophone Poetry and the Arts

Sun, Feb 26 2023
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Central Library, Second-Floor Balcony Room

BPL Presents humanities and art University Open Air


French society’s obsession with taste shows up in many areas. In this two-part course we will interrogate notions such as Beauty & ugliness and Poetic beauty and /or lack thereof in the second part.

French society’s obsession with taste shows up in many areas. Hence, let’s focus on the tensions between poetic and prosaic in poetry, with little hints in the Arts. Most obvious is the celebration/advent of prose poetry in the 19th century and the loss of moral judgement regarding subjects that may lack poetic beauty such as vagrancy or alcohol consumption. Moreover, old practices such as the counter blazon celebrate, often with humor, the unappealing. We will look at works that subvert noble literary codes and celebrate the prosaic with classics such as Rimbaud, but also modern poets such as Venus Khoury-Ghata.

Nadia Bongo is a French language and literature teacher. With a Ph.D. in French Language and Literature from Aix Marseille Université, she taught French Language, Literature, and Research for the French Academy for six years. She feels fortunate to have two passions: teaching and writing. In Spring 2021, Nadia was a Brooklyn Poets fellow and Poet of the Week that Fall. Her work has appeared in the NYPL zine, Newtown Literary, Litro magazine online, and elsewhere. In March, she will be teaching an online French translation course with emphasis on writing for Catapult.

We are very excited to have you back at our events and would like to remind you that we are still in the midst of the pandemic. Please be considerate of your fellow guests and stay home if you’re feeling unwell. Also, consider wearing a mask when attending indoor BPL Presents events. You’ll be doing your part to help keep yourself and everyone healthy and safe.

BPL Presents programs are made possible by the New York Council on the Arts witht he support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

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Add to My Calendar 02/26/2023 01:00 pm 02/26/2023 03:00 pm America/New_York University Open Air:Second part –The poetic and the prosaic: subverting good tastes in French and Francophone Poetry and the Arts

French society’s obsession with taste shows up in many areas. In this two-part course we will interrogate notions such as Beauty & ugliness and Poetic beauty and /or lack thereof in the second part.

French society’s obsession with taste shows up in many areas. Hence, let’s focus on the tensions between poetic and prosaic in poetry, with little hints in the Arts. Most obvious is the celebration/advent of prose poetry in the 19th century and the loss of moral judgement regarding subjects that may lack poetic beauty such as vagrancy or alcohol consumption. Moreover, old practices such as the counter blazon celebrate, often with humor, the unappealing. We will look at works that subvert noble literary codes and celebrate the prosaic with classics such as Rimbaud, but also modern poets such as Venus Khoury-Ghata.

Nadia Bongo is a French language and literature teacher. With a Ph.D. in French Language and Literature from Aix Marseille Université, she taught French Language, Literature, and Research for the French Academy for six years. She feels fortunate to have two passions: teaching and writing. In Spring 2021, Nadia was a Brooklyn Poets fellow and Poet of the Week that Fall. Her work has appeared in the NYPL zine, Newtown Literary, Litro magazine online, and elsewhere. In March, she will be teaching an online French translation course with emphasis on writing for Catapult.

Brooklyn Public Library - Central Library, Second-Floor Balcony Room MM/DD/YYYY 60