RUSS 402 Senior Seminar: The Golden Age of Russian Literature (Not offered 1997-98)

In this course, we will examine the tremendous flowering of poetry and prose that took place in Russian literature during the first half of the nineteenth century. Our study will focus on works by Pushkin (Eugene Onegin and The Bronze Horseman), Lermontov (A Hero of our Time and lyric poetry), and Gogol (The Nose and The Overcoat) in order to build an understanding of the unique role literature played in Russian society and culture of the time. We will frame our examination of the Golden Age by reading works representative of the movements of Sentimentalism (Karamzin's "Poor Liza") and Realism (Turgenev's Sketches of a Hunter) in Russian literature. Through close textual analysis, we will develop an understanding of the many currents that came into and grew out of Russia's Golden Age.
Conducted in Russian.
Prerequisite: Russian 202 or permission of the instructor.
Requirements: active class participation, four short papers (3-5 pages) in Russian, and a final project (30 minutes) to be presented in class.