Russian Literature 3
A.Y. 2022/2023
Learning objectives
The course is reserved for third year students and aims to complete the presentation of the literary and cultural history of Russia carried out in the two previous courses. An introduction to Russian history between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century is proposed, with particular attention, on the one hand, to the political context, and on the other to the different artistic currents that animated the Russian cultural scene of the early twentieth century; in a second stage the course offers an in-depth study of single authors and literary works or thematic paths of particular importance.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge: The student demonstrates full knowledge of the main facts of Russian social history and Russian literature of the studied period. Skills: The student achieves good proficiency in the analysis of the thematic and formal elements of the literary text and is able to re-elaborate the problems faced during the course and of the critical essays examined.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The course is called "Little new men. Children's books and Soviet propaganda" . It consists of the following three parts: a) Introduction to Russian historical and literary background, from the death of Alexander III to the 1917 revolution b)At the origins of Soviet children's literature: political, social, and literary institutions
c) Poems for children by Chukovskij, Marshak, Mayakovsky, Kharms, and others
The course provides 9 CFU, therefore all students will stick to the complete program (parts A, B and C). In Part A we will take into consideration the main stages of Russian history and literature from the 1890s until the civil war. During this part of the course the teacher will provide the basic knowledge, the essential interpretative categories and the methodological tools necessary to encourage the subsequent personal deepening, which remains the student's responsibility. Part B will examine the main educational theories, institutions, and political aims of Soviet children's literature of the twenties and thirties of the twentieth century. We will reflect on how, over the years immediately after the revolution, the children's book becomes a fundamental vehicle of socialist propaganda, on the one hand, and a field of experimentation for the literary and artistic avant-gardes, on the other. Part C will be dedicated to the analysis and commentary of lyric texts in Russian. Particular attention will be paid to the visual language of early Soviet children's books.
c) Poems for children by Chukovskij, Marshak, Mayakovsky, Kharms, and others
The course provides 9 CFU, therefore all students will stick to the complete program (parts A, B and C). In Part A we will take into consideration the main stages of Russian history and literature from the 1890s until the civil war. During this part of the course the teacher will provide the basic knowledge, the essential interpretative categories and the methodological tools necessary to encourage the subsequent personal deepening, which remains the student's responsibility. Part B will examine the main educational theories, institutions, and political aims of Soviet children's literature of the twenties and thirties of the twentieth century. We will reflect on how, over the years immediately after the revolution, the children's book becomes a fundamental vehicle of socialist propaganda, on the one hand, and a field of experimentation for the literary and artistic avant-gardes, on the other. Part C will be dedicated to the analysis and commentary of lyric texts in Russian. Particular attention will be paid to the visual language of early Soviet children's books.
Prerequisites for admission
The materials and the exam bibliography require specific skills in Russian literary history, use of terminology, and critical analysis acquired in previous courses. Knowledge of the Russian language (A2-B1) is an indispensable requirement for analyzing the original texts.
Teaching methods
During the course the following teaching methods will be employed: frontal lessons; shared analysis and reflection on the texts; viewing and commenting on audiovisual materials.
Teaching Resources
The course has a site on the Ariel online teaching platform (https://ariel.unimi.it/). Compulsory reading works for each of the teaching units are indicated below.
Part A
Storia della civiltà letteraria russa, a cura di M. Colucci e R. Picchio, UTET, Torino 1997, vol. II (a selection of chapters, available on Ariel)
Any history of XX-th century Russian Literature (from the beginning of Nicolas II's reign until the end of the Second World War)
One text among the following ones:
Sologub, Il demone meschino
E. Zamjatin, Noi
B. Pasternak, Il dottor Živago
M. Bulgakov, Il Maestro e Margherita
Part B and C
Mandatory readings:
An anthology of poetic texts and critical essays. The texts will be collected in a handout that will be made available at the beginning of course on Ariel.
Other materials (slides, videos) will be available on Ariel.
Program for non-attending students
Non-attending students will stick to the program for attending students, but they will have to choose two texts (not one) from the following list:
Sologub, Il demone meschino
E. Zamjatin, Noi
B. Pasternak, Il dottor Živago
M. Bulgakov, Il Maestro e Margherita
Part A
Storia della civiltà letteraria russa, a cura di M. Colucci e R. Picchio, UTET, Torino 1997, vol. II (a selection of chapters, available on Ariel)
Any history of XX-th century Russian Literature (from the beginning of Nicolas II's reign until the end of the Second World War)
One text among the following ones:
Sologub, Il demone meschino
E. Zamjatin, Noi
B. Pasternak, Il dottor Živago
M. Bulgakov, Il Maestro e Margherita
Part B and C
Mandatory readings:
An anthology of poetic texts and critical essays. The texts will be collected in a handout that will be made available at the beginning of course on Ariel.
Other materials (slides, videos) will be available on Ariel.
Program for non-attending students
Non-attending students will stick to the program for attending students, but they will have to choose two texts (not one) from the following list:
Sologub, Il demone meschino
E. Zamjatin, Noi
B. Pasternak, Il dottor Živago
M. Bulgakov, Il Maestro e Margherita
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam consists of an individual interview, which includes questions asked by the teacher and the analysis and commentary of one or more excerpts taken from the works scheduled. The interview has a variable duration and takes place in Italian. Students will also have to demonstrate that they can correctly read and analyze poems in Russian. The interview aims to check the knowledge of the texts read, the ability to contextualize authors and works and to use specific terminology, the ability to critically and personally reflect on the issues proposed. The final mark is expressed in thirtieths, and the student has the right to refuse it (in this case it will be recorded as "withdrawn").
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to promptly contact the teacher. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and / or with DSA must be agreed with the teacher, according to the competent Office.
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to promptly contact the teacher. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and / or with DSA must be agreed with the teacher, according to the competent Office.
Professor(s)