Russian Literature & Culture Courses

L39 215 C Introduction to Russian Civilization (3 units)
Overview of main currents and developments in Russian culture and the arts from earliest records to present day. Folk literature and art, architecture, dress, music, literature, film. Topics include pre-Christian pagan beliefs, the introduction of Orthodox Christianity, the "Tatar yoke," reactions to the "Europeanization" of Russia, the self-identity of a people neither European nor Asian. Are the changes taking place in Russia today a complete break with the past or a reemergence of certain cultural constants? Knowledge of Russian language not required. Open to freshmen.

L39 315 Russian Music (3 units)
This course will survey Russian music from the nineteenth century to the present. Among the composers to be discussed are Glinka, Musorgsky, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and Schnittke. In addition to examining seminal works such as Eugene Onegin, Boris Godunov, Pictures at an Exhibition, Sheherazade, Firebird, and Shostakovich´s Symphony no. 5, we will trace musical developments against wider trends in Russian history, politics, literature, and the visual arts. Special attention will be given to the impact on music of writers, artists, and choreographers, including Pushkin, Tolstoy, the World of Art circle, and Nijinsky. No knowledge of Russian or ability to read music required.

L39 350 Russian 19th-Century Russian Novel (3 units)
The 19th-century "realistic" novel elevated Russian literature to world literary significance. In this course, we explore the development of the Russian novel through close readings in English translation of Pushkin’s EUGENE ONEGIN, Dostoevsky’s CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, and Tolstoy’s ANNA KARENINA. Supplemental materials include critical essays, literary theory, and film. While we consider a variety of formal and thematic concerns, we will place particular emphasis on the social context and on questions of Russian cultural identity. This is a writing intensive course: revisions and workshops are required.