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RUSS 402(S) Senior Seminar: Spectacles on His Nose, and Autumn in His Heart -The World of Isaac Babel
Known alternately as "master of the short story" and the "Russian Maupassant," Isaac Babel was one of the most intriguing and gripping authors of early Soviet Russia. Although he was in no way prolific, Babel's writing was very popular in his lifetime, both in Russia and abroad. Still, though he continues to be widely read by Russians, his name in the West is often overshadowed by Bulgakov, Pasternak, and Solzhenitsyn. By way of Babel's life and work, this course will examine what it meant to be a Russian, a Jew, and a non-party author in the 1920s and 1930s. Babel's writing was extremely varied: he wrote sketches, newspaper articles, short stories, plays, and movie scripts. Among others, primary readings will include the two cycles Red Cavalry and Tales of Odessa, some early sketches, such as his literary manifesto Odessa, a great number of his autobiographical and other short stories, the play Maria, and a selection of his letters. We will also read some reminiscences on Babel by his contemporaries, and this will broaden our understanding of the man, the writer, and his era. All course readings will be in the original, and class will be conducted entirely in Russian. Format: seminar. Requirements: active class participation, frequent short writing assignments, class presentations, and a final research project. Prerequisites: Russian 202 or permission of the instructor. Expected enrollment: 3-5. No enrollment limit (expected: 3-5). VAN DE STADT |
