RUSS 203 Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature in Translation (Not offered 1998-99)

Russian nineteenth-century literature provides a fascinating window into a culture that at once measured itself against Europe and proudly asserted its own uniqueness. In this course we will read works in a variety of genres, concentrating upon the canonical "greats" (Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov), but adding a sampling of other writers. Readings will range from Pushkin's Tales of Belkin, to Gan's society tales, to Dostoevsky's "baggy monsters", with particular attention paid to Russian literature's self-consciousness in relation to Western models. We will also explore the theme of doomed genius and look at recently rediscovered works by women. By examining literary depictions of such Russian social institutions as courtship and marriage, the society ball, work and leisure, and the literary salon, this course will also emphasize the relationship between literary text and cultural context. All works will be read in translation. Requirements: active class participation, three 3- to 5-page papers, one short presentation, and either a final 10- to 15-page paper or an exam. No prerequisites.

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