This year-long nine-credit (54-hour) course is designed for students in the LCM program of the Department of "Lingue" or in the Department of "Lettere." The course will be held online during the first semester (3 hours per week); whether the course will be held online or in the classroom during the II semester (2 hours per week) has not yet been determined.
N.B. This is NOT the course for TTMI students (which will be held in the second semester).
Our first-year course introduces students to Russian literature and culture from its medieval origins to the mid 1800s; in the second year, students focus more specifically on problems of literary style and evolution by examining texts from the 19th and 20th centuries that are linked by a particular theme; students who take the third-year course will go still more deeply into the literature and culture of a more specific historical period (such as the first half of the 20th century or The Thaw).
This course aims to provide students (1) familiarity with some of important 19th-century Russian writers; (2) thorough knowledge of some of their important works; (3) the basic tools of literary analysis; (4) general knowledge of the main cultural figures and events from the period in question.
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This course will be held online during the first semester via Teams. During the second semester, the course will be held online or in the classroom (to be determined). Details and updates on the course as it evolves will always be on Aulaweb.
Course Title: Self Realization in 19th-Century Russia
In this course we will read and analyze various texts from 19th-century Russia, when Russian literature became internationally known. We will examine problems relating to the struggles of various literary characters who attempt to realize themselves and in so doing clash against the limits imposed upon them by the society of the time and its social practices. Of particular interest are themes such as: arranged marriage and other varieties of love, together with the advantages of wealth, social connections, and education; gender, power, and violence; obsession and crime. We will begin the first semester with women's writing and the "svetskaja povest'" (society tale), move to Gončarov, Turgenev, and Leskov, contemplate a short work by Dostoevskij or Tolstoj, and conclude with three short stories by Chekhov. The second semester will be dedicated to a long novel by Dostoevskij or Tolstoj.
THIS READING IS NOT "RECOMMENDED": IT IS MANDATORY!
See the Italian version of the program.
Ricevimento: 2021/2022 -- Vedi la mia pagina sul sito di Lingue. Nel periodo di didattica a distanza ricevo su Teams per appuntamento.
SARA DICKINSON (President)
MARIO ALESSANDRO CURLETTO
LAURA SALMON (Substitute)
The week of October 4.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE II
Oral.
The exam may be taken in Russian, Italian, or English. To sign up for the exam, use the unige site.
The exam will test a basic knowledge of the historical context, a careful reading of the literary texts on the syllabus, and students' ability to offer a critical interpretation of these. The quality of the students' self-expression in presenting their ideas and their correct use of relevant scholarly terms will figure into the grade. More details about the exam will be communicated in class and/or made available on Aulaweb.
Students will have the option of taking a partial exam (for six credits) at the end of the first semester. The exam will also be held in Jun/Jul 2022, Sept 2022, and Jan/Feb 2023), so please PLAN accordingly for your specific deadlines regarding travel (including Erasmus) or scholarships. This program "expires" in February 2023. Students who have not passed the entire exam by that time will be examined on the course program for 2022-23.
Attendance is strongly recommended.
Students must follow the course on Aulaweb as well (for updates on the syllabus, the lectures, and the exam).
