OVERVIEW

This course proposes the reading and analysis of Russian prose and poetry. The specific topic and reading list change every year. The topic for 2017-2018 is:

TOLSTOJ: THE BEGINNING AND END OF A WRITER

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

These courses examine topics and problems in Russian literature and culture from its origins to the present. In class work includes the reading and translation of excerpts from the works of significant authors and critics.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course provides (1) familiarity with the basic elements of literary analysis, (2) an introduction to problems linked with the formation of a writer; (3) deep familiarity with the works of Lev Tolstoj, his themes and issues of concern; (4) familiarity with the technique of "defamiliarization."

TEACHING METHODS

The course content will be delivered via classroom lectures with the support of Aulaweb.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

We will examine in detail some of the stories and short novels of Lev Tolstoj in the context of his life, thought, and century. Specific attention will be given to his technique of self-analysis, to his construction of literary backdrops in the Crimea and Caucasus on the basis of first-hand experience, his interest in the figure of the Other, and Tolstoj's (often contradictory) approach to moral and existential problems.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

THIS READING IS NOT "RECOMMENDED": IT IS MANDATORY!

The texts necessary for this course in Italian translation are available for copying in the copy shop NonSoloCopie on via Balbi or in libraries, bookstores and online. You are free to choose the translated editions you prefer although specific electronic editions in Russian will be recommended on Aulaweb. Obviously, students capable of reading in the original are encouraged to do so; others should look from time to time at passages in the original following the links on Aulaweb and compare them with the translations.

READING LIST

Tolstoj, extracts from diary 1847-1851 – NonSoloCopie

Viktor Šklovskij, “Art as Device” – NonSoloCopie, pp. 16-23.

Tolstoj, “Childhood” (1852)

Tolstoj, "The Raid" (1853) – NonSoloCopie, circa 30 pp.

Tolstoj, “Sevastopol' stories" (1855-56)

Tolstoj, “The Cossacks” (1863)

Tolstoj, “The Death of Ivan Ilič” (1886)

Tolstoj, “Chadži-Murat"

On Tolstoj's era:

Nicholas V. Riasanovsky, Storia della Russia (Bompiani, 1984), pp. 323-452.

Roger Bartlett, Storia della Russia (Mondadori, 2005), pp. 114-94.

On Tolstoj:

Ettore Lo Gatto, Profilo della letteratura russa dalle origini a Solženicyn (Mondadori, 1975), pp. 221-42, 258-76.

Marija Pljuchanova ,“Tolstoj”, in AA.VV., Storia della civiltà letteraria russa (Utet, 1997), pp. 690-721.

Dmitrij Mirskij, Storia della letteratura russa (Garzanti, 1995), pp. 217-32, 250-72.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

SARA DICKINSON (President)

MARIO ALESSANDRO CURLETTO

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The week of 16 October 2017

http://www.lingue.unige.it/didattica/orari

Class schedule

RUSSIAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Written.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The written exam for 6 credits will last 3 hours and consist of both short answer and essay questions based on the syllabus. Further details will be circulated via Aulaweb. 

The exam may be taken in Russian, Italian, or English; students should choose the language in which they are able to express themselves more fully. It will be held ONLY 5 times a year (twice in Jan/Feb, twice in Jun/Jul, ONLY once in Sept/Oct) so please PLAN accordingly for your specific deadlines regarding travel (including Erasmus) or scholarships.

This program "expires" in February 2019. Students who have not passed the exam by that time will be examined on the course program for 2018-19.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Attendance is strongly recommended.

Students should register for the course also on Aulaweb (which will be fundamental for updates).