RUSSIAN LITERATURE - MOD.2

The course falls into the learning area "Literatures and cultures" and is entitled “Russian Literature and Culture from Socialist Realism to Postmodernism: 1920-2020". It focuses on the key movements of Russian literary and cultural history of the 20th and 21st centuries with an emphasis on major key theoretical premises and central figures of Socialist Realism and Russian Postmodernism.

1. Knowledge and understanding
● Acquisition with the history of Russian literature and culture, their key concepts and major trends.
● Familiarization with the central figures of Russian literary history and culture of the 20th and 21st centuries.
● Development of cultural awareness, critical analysis, creative thinking and intellectual independence.

2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
● Students will learn how to demonstrate a basic knowledge of key features of cultural and historical analysis of literary texts.
● Students will learn how to use a basic special vocabulary for discussing literary history development, how to build a structured and reasoned argument to support ideas about a literary text and evaluate secondary sources, both orally and in writing.
● Students will be able to discuss key critical concepts in the context of various manifestations in the history of Russian literature; students will be able to critically analyse and apply theoretical approaches to the material.
● Students will extend their awareness of the origins, contexts and development of the most important trends in Russian literature, such as Socialist Realism and Russian Postmodernism.
● Students will develop critical thinking about the theoretical bases and aesthetic practices of modern Russian literature and culture.

3. Judgment capacity
● Students will be able to gather, process and evaluate critically information from a variety of paper and electronic sources.
● Students will develop conceptual approach to the materials they will be working with and will learn how to provide in their final essay substantial proof for the ideas that were developed as a result of their individual research.
● Students will develop skills in analysis, drawing on primary and secondary materials to explore the relationship between political and cultural contexts, aesthetics, and audiences.

4. Communication skills
● Development of verbal and written communicative skills in target language.
● Development of quality of expression of ideas (appropriate register/specialised terms) in target language.
● Development of linguistic competence (grammar, spelling, etc.) in target language (for those who choose to write in Russian).

5. Learning skills
● Development of awareness of and engagement with range of debates and critical (secondary) works in target language.
● Development of independent analyses and interpretation with primary sources in target language.
● Development of reference skills and bibliography. Knowledge of how to work with the primary and secondary sources in the process of individual research for the final paper (bibliography, quotation, formatting references).

The knowledge of the historic, cultural and literary evolution of Russia of the 20th century. Russian language at B1/B2 level is required.

The lectures will cover the following topics: Russian literature of the 1920s; Formation of the Soviet reader and writer; The emergence of socialist realism, its doctrine and institutions; Representation of the hero and sacrifice. Re-forging. Collectivity; Representation of the leader. Representation of the enemy; Monumentalism; Populism and kitsch; Images of the past, present and the future; Reception of socialist realism in post-Soviet Russia and in the West; Theories of Russian postmodernism; Postmodernity in Russian Literature; Moscow conceptualism; Sots Art.

Approximate programme of the lectures:

1. Russian literature of the 1920s. Formation of the Soviet reader and writer.
2. The emergence of socialist realism. Theory/Doctrine. Institutions.
3. Representation of the hero and sacrifice. Re-forging. Collectivity.
4. Representation of the leader. Representation of the enemy.
5. Monumentalism: literary and visual representations
6. Populism and kitsch: literary and visual representations
7. Images of the past in literature and visual arts
8. Images of the present in literature and visual arts
9. Images of the future in literature and visual arts
10. Reception of socialist realism in post-Soviet Russia and in the West
11. Theories of Russian postmodernism. Postmodernity in Russian Literature: Andrei Bitov, Venedikt Erofeev
12. Sots Art: Komar and Malamid, Kabakov, Bruskin, Bulatov, Sokov
13. Poetry: Prigov, Rubinstein, Kibirov
14. Prose: Sorokin, Sharov, Shishkin
15. Conclusion

A bibliography will be given at the beginning of the course by the Lecturer.

Final essay either in Russian or in English (1,500-2,000 words).
The students will have to demonstrate that they have read the PRIMARY TEXTS in-depth and can analyse them, using SECONDARY SOURCES to contextualize the material.
The list of topic will be given at the beginning of the course by the lecturer.

Lectures in Russian language.

written