Haiku in theory and practice

HAIKU IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

Samantha Renda, writer

Monday 25–Wednesday 27 January  1.00 pm  COURSE FEES R345; Staff and students R173

In this three-lecture course, participants learn the history and modern practice of the unique poetic shortform: haiku. The course covers the origins of haiku in seventeenth century Japan, its development through the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and how the practice of haiku spread to the rest of the world. Participants will move from classical haiku to modern themes, discovering how haiku has been used to express everything from Zen practice and connection to nature, to war, protest, identity and other contemporary themes and realities.

Along the way, participants will learn a wide range of haiku techniques and styles, from the use of traditional Japanese aesthetics like mono-no-aware and yugen, to techniques like season words, juxtaposition, senseswitching, and zooming in and out. Participants will also be introduced to different haiku forms, like monoku and the cousin to haiku, senryu, and will learn how the form lends itself to a consistent, daily poetry practice.

Lecture titles

1. Haiku: origins and development, from early masters to haiku in twentieth century Japan, haiku as protest and in wartime

2. Haiku across the globe: early twentieth century and modern English-language practice, modern haiku themes and usage, how haiku has spread across the world, including into Africa

3. Haiku techniques and aesthetics: an introduction to classical Japanese aesthetics, including mono-noaware, karumi, yugen and wabi-sabi

Recommended reading

New to Haiku: What is Haiku? https://thehaikufoundation.org/new-to-haiku-what-is-haiku-2/ 

The Essence of Haiku as Perceived by Western Haijin. https://www.modernhaiku.org/essays/VerhartEssentialHaiku.html 

Haiku Techniques. https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/omeka/files/original/2f96aab841b05a94a793a3cd24e445dc.pdf 

Haiku Aesthetics: A Look at Understatement. https://www.modernhaiku.org/issue47-3/Antolin-HaikuAesthetics-MH47-3.pdf

TO BOOK: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/performance.aspx?itemid=1602831073