|
|
|
Nineteenth-Century Russian
Novel |
|
Ian Helfant (link to my homepage) |
|
Fall 2002 |
|
Office hours (in Lawrence 202): |
|
Tues/Thur: 1:00-2:20 |
|
Tel. 228-7721; 824-9185 (h) <9 p.m. |
|
Room: Lawrence 201 |
|
|
Henry
James called Russian novels of the 19th century "loose baggy
monsters." He was referring especially to Dostoevsky's
"stream of consciousness" narratives -- often dictated to a
stenographer in the middle of the night after many cups of strong tea --
but James is not alone in finding Russian literature perplexing.
Written largely by an educated elite, eerily self-conscious
because of czarist censorship and political repression, Russian
literature of the nineteenth century nevertheless confronts many
of the crucial concerns of human existence – love and friendship,
jealousy and hatred, contentment and envy, conformity and independence,
intellect vs. the passions, men's and women's treatment of each other,
religion vs. atheism. In
this course we will read a combination of short stories and novels,
concentrating upon the canonical "greats" (Pushkin, Lermontov,
Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov) but adding a sampling
of writers you might otherwise never encounter, including the neglected
female author Karolina Pavlova. By
examining literary depictions of such social institutions as dueling and
gambling, courtship and marriage, adultery and spousal abuse, work and
leisure, gossip and the society ball, the course will emphasize the
relationship between literary text and cultural context.
We will pay particular attention to the cultural construction of
gender. We will also explore Russian literature's self-consciousness
in relation to Western models. A
range of theoretical and critical texts will inform our discussions, as
will film adaptations of certain works.
All works will be read in translation.
|
|
Active participation in class discussions and daily advance response to one reading question for each of the day's readings via our blackboard web site (15% + 15% = 30%) One
4 to 5 page essay (15%) One 5 to 7 page essay (15%) -- due Mon. Nov. 4 Final
10- to 12-page research or interpretive paper (30%) Final exam (10%)
|
|
Each author's name links to his entry in the Encylopedia Britannica Online (which doesn't include Pavlova!) Alexander
Pushkin, The Queen of Spades and Other Stories (early 1830s)
|
|
A read Any readings marked with an asterisk will be provided in our Course Packet. All texts not marked with an asterisk are available at the Colgate Bookstore. I urge you to buy the texts and bring them to class each day as we will be discussing them in detail. We will view excerpts from the film adaptations of War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and "The Lady with the Lapdog" in class, as well as Woody Allen's parody of the great 19th-century literary tradition in his movie Love and Death as an evening event. · Any student with special needs or circumstances should let me know about them ASAP.
|
|
CLASS
|
TEXTS
|
|
Tues., Sept. 3 |
Introductory
lecture on the historical and literary context and walk-through of syllabus. |
|
Thur., Sept. 5 |
Pushkin,
The Tales of the Late P. Belkin
= pp. 25-85 in The
Queen of Spades and Other Stories |
|
Tues., Sept. 10 |
Pushkin, "The Queen of Spades" (24 pp.) |
|
Thur., Sept. 12 |
Lermontov, A Hero of Our Time (pp. 3-69) |
|
Tues., Sept. 17 |
Lermontov, A Hero of Our Time (pp. 70-157) |
|
Thur., Sept. 19 |
Gogol, "The Nose"& "The Overcoat" (66 pages) *Vissarion Belinskii, "Thoughts and Notes on Russian Literature" (14 pp.) |
|
Tues., Sept. 24 |
Gogol, "How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich" and "Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and his Aunt" *Vladimir Nabokov, "A Definition of Poshlost'" (4 pages) |
| Thur., Sept. 26 |
Pavlova, "At the Tea-Table" *Ol'ga Demidova, "Russian Women Writers of the Nineteenth
Century" |
|
Thur. evening, Sept. 26 |
6 pm: dinner at Merrill House |
|
Mon., Sept 30 |
Short Paper #1 due at 5 PM in my office door slot |
|
Tues., Oct. 1 |
Turgenev, Fathers and Sons (pp. 1-86) Turgenev, "Apropos of Fathers and Sons" (8 pages) |
|
Thur., Oct. 3 |
Turgenev, Fathers and Sons (pp. 86-157) |
|
Tues., Oct. 8 |
Dostoevsky,
Crime
and Punishment,
Part One (1-74) |
|
Thur., Oct. 10 |
Crime
and Punishment, Part Two (75-165) |
|
Tues., Oct. 15 |
NO CLASS -- MIDTERM RECESS |
|
Thur., Oct. 17 |
Crime and Punishment, Part Three (166-236) |
|
Tues., Oct. 22 |
Crime and Punishment, Part Four (237-303) |
|
Thur., Oct. 24 |
Crime and Punishment, Part Five (304-369) |
|
Tues., Oct. 29 |
Crime and Punishment, Part Six and Epilogues (370-465) |
| Thur., Oct. 31 |
Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (Part 1: pp. 1-106) |
|
Mon., Nov. 4 |
Short Paper #2 due at 5 PM in my office door slot |
|
Tues., Nov. 5 |
Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (Part II: 111-216) |
|
Thur., Nov. 7 |
Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (Part III: pp. 216-321) Tolstoy's letter to N. N. Strakhov on p. 750 |
|
Tues., Nov. 12 |
Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (Part IV: pp. 321-396 |
|
Thur., Nov. 14 |
Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (Part V: pp. 397-499) *Susan Brownmiller, "Emotion" |
|
Tues., Nov. 19 |
Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (Part VI: pp. 500-606) *Gary Saul Morson, "Prosaics and Anna Karenina" (11 pages) |
|
Thur., Nov. 21 |
Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (Parts VII and VIII: pp. 606-740) |
|
Thur. evening, Nov. 21 |
MOVIE: Love and Death (Woody Allen) 7 pm -- Lawrence 201 |
|
Tues., Nov. 26 |
Chekhov, "Sleepy," "The Grasshopper," "The Teacher of Literature" Gleb Struve, "On Chekhov's Craftsmanship: The Anatomy of a Story" (7 pages) |
|
Thur., Nov. 28 |
Thanksgiving recess -- no class! |
|
Tues., Dec. 3 |
Chekhov's trilogy: "The Man in a Case," "About Love," and "Gooseberries" |
|
Thur., Dec. 5 |
Chekhov, "The House with the Mansard," "The Darling" Tolstoy, "An Afterword to Chekhov's Story "The Darling"" (5 pp.) |
|
Tues., Dec. 10 |
Chekhov, "The Lady with the Dog" and Bunin, "Sunstroke" In class: scene from movie "The Lady with the Dog" |
|
Thur., Dec. 12 |
Conclusions |
| date TBA | Final Paper due |
| date TBA | Final Exam |