OVERVIEW

This 54-hour (9-credit) course will be taught in the first semester (3 hours per week) and in the second semester (2 hours per week) in person and in English. During the first semester, 61285 will be taught in parallel with course 104355 (TTMI), which has an almost identical syllabus for the first semester, but will be taught in Italian. Students are free to attend the lectures of either course during the first semester. (In the second semester, course 61285 will be taught exclusively in Italian.)

Course 61285 is intended for (1) students in the LCM program at the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures (DLCM) or students from Letters (DIRAAS, DAFIST) – although those who prefer lectures in English during the first semester may attend course 104355; (2) students in the TTMI program who are officially registered for 104355, but prefer to attend lectures in Italian.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

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).

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course will provide students (1) familiarity with the work of several significant Russophone writers of the 19th and early 20th centuries; (2) deeper knowledge of specific important texts; (3) the basic tools of literary analysis; (4) general knowledge of the main cultural figures, currents of thought, and social and cultural events from the period in question.

PREREQUISITES

None. A knowledge of Russian is not required for this course.

TEACHING METHODS

This course will be conducted in person and in English. In order to keep pace with the course, it is necessary to sign up on Aulaweb. Not only will you receive announcements automatically, but you will also find there information regarding the course syllabus, lectures, and the exam. N.B. Access to the course on Aulaweb does not require a password, but actually signing up for the course requires an extra step: You do need to be sure that your name appears in the list of "participants" or else you have not managed to sign up and you will not receive any notifications.

It is also necessary to sign up for the course on Teams. The password will be made available on Aulaweb.

Students with certification of learning or other disabilities should inform the instructor (who is also the Departmental contact for the Inclusion of Students with Learning and Other Disabilities) in order to discuss possible accommodations regarding this course or studies at the University of Genoa in general.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Title of the course: Russian Literature – Excess, Abnegation, Transformation.

By "Russian literature" we mean Russophone literature produced by persons living in the territories of the Russian and/or Soviet empires. In this course we will read and analyze various texts from the 19th century, when Russian literature became internationally known, and from the 20th, up to the period immediately following the Revolution of 1917. We will examine the struggles of various literary characters who clash against the limits imposed upon them by the society of the time with its conventions and social practices. Of particular interest are themes such as: arranged marriage; the relative weight of social estates and official ranks; the advantages of social status (wealth, connections, education) and gender; the link between space (from the ballroom to the battlefield, from Russia to Europe and the world) and identity (Russian, Ukrainian, Jewish, hybrid); materiality and spirituality; obsession and crime; power and violence. We begin with the “svetskaja povest’” (society tale) and women’s writing, will read short texts by Rostopčina, Pavlova, Leskov, Tolstoj, Čechov and Zamjatin, and will discuss early attemps at cinema.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

(N.B. This reading is not “recommended”, but mandatory!)

Obviously, students able to read the texts in Russian are encouraged to do so, while those who manage to look only at a few passages in the original and compare them with the translated versions will find numerous details relevant to their linguistic and literary studies.

The required texts may be found online, on Aulaweb (as pdf or in another form), borrowed from the library or purchased. Precise details regarding each text will be furnished on Aulaweb. Books can also be tracked down with the help of Libreria Bozzi (off via Cairoli).

READING

For minor alterations and further details (such as specific pages), see Aulaweb. N.B. The language of the lectures that you choose to attend does not limit the language in which you read: students are free to choose between Russian, Italian and English.

Riasanovsky, Nicholas. A History of Russia (selected pages) — “Storia della Russia” (pagine selezionate)

Part 1: The woman writer and the svetskaja povest’

Rostopčina, Evdokija. Rank and Money (1838) — “Rango e denaro” — “Чины и деньги”

Pavlova, Karolina. A Double Life (1847) — “La doppia vita” — Двойная жизнь

Part 2: Excess and Abnegation

Leskov, Nikolaj. “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” (1864) — Lady Macbeth del distretto di Mcensk — Леди Макбет Мценского уезда

OPTIONAL: “Katerina Izmajlova” (film of the lyric opera by Dmitrij Šostakovič with Galina Višnevskaja)

Tolstoj, Lev. “Father Sergius” (1898) — Padre Sergio — “Отец Сергий”

Čechov, Anton. “The Little Trilogy” (1898) — “La piccola trilogia” — “Маленькая трилогия”

Part 3: Transformations/The Old and the New

Zamjatin, Evgenij. We (1921) — “Noi” — “Мы”

First attempts at cinema (various clips)

In the second semester, the final 3 credits (18 hours) of course 61285 will be taught in Italian and dedicated to the reading of a novel by Dostoevsky that we will choose together: The Idiot (L’idiota, Идиот) or The Brothers Karamazov (I fratelli Karamazov, Братья Карамазовы). Students are expected to purchase this book.

ADDITIONAL READING: For those interested in specific periods and authors, we recommend the following literary histories: Storia della civiltà letteraria russa, vol. 2 (UTET, 1997); Ettore Lo Gatto, “Profilo della letteratura russa dalle origini a Solženicyn” (Mondadori, 1975); and others. Please ask the instructor for specific recommendations in English.

N.B. While the quality of the information found in these volumes greatly surpasses that found easily online, these texts are not required. Since this course aims to develop students’ capacities to interact directly with the texts in question, uncovering information about them found in other sources is less important than your own individual involvement in the process of reading and reflection.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

SARA DICKINSON (President)

MARIO ALESSANDRO CURLETTO

LAURA SALMON (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Wednesday October 4 at 10 am, Aula IV (Balbi 5)

Class schedule

RUSSIAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE II

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam has a WRITTEN part (6 credits) and an ORAL part (3 credits). There may also be optional assignments over the course of the semester, such as the task of preparing specific tests for discussion in class. The oral exam for the remaining three credits may be taken beginning in June 2024. At the end of the first semester, students may take a two-hour written exam for the first 6 credits of 9. N.B. The division of this exam into two diverse parts will normally require two exam dates (appelli) to complete.

Whenever possible, you may sign up for the exam using the unige site. The exam may be taken in Russian, Italian or English as the student prefers (and independently of the language selected for the lectures chosen). Students who wish to take the written part of the exam in English should notify the instructor by email when the sign up for the date. Exams will be held in Jan/Feb 2024, Jun/Jul 2024, Sept 2024, and Jan/Feb 2025.

A single exam in late spring will also be available exclusively for those students who are graduating in June or July. Since no additional exams are planned, students are advised to pay attention to the exam calendar and PLAN accordingly for personal deadlines regarding travel (including Erasmus) or scholarships before the end of May.

This program “expires” in February 2025. Students who have not passed the entire exam by that time will be examined according to the version of this course that is current in 2024-25.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam will test whether or not students have actually (and recently) read the literary texts on the syllabus and will evaluate students’ ability to offer a critical interpretation of these, contextualizing them in historical, cultural, and literary context. Students are advised to read attentively and to formulate their own opinion on the material. The quality of the students’ self-expression in presenting their ideas and their correct use of relevant scholarly terms will figure into the grade.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

ATTENDANCE: Attendance is strongly recommended since the course is based on the individual analysis of the texts, on the assignments, and on the discussions held in class. As a result, those who do not attend regularly or who do not complete the assignments may have difficulty passing the exam.