[ Wesleyan Home Page ] [ WesMaps Home Page ] [ WesMaps Archive ] [ Course Search ] [ Course Search by CID ]
Academic Year 2005/2006

A Matter of Life and Death: Fiction in the Soviet Era
RUSS 206 SP
Crosslistings:
REES 206

The great Russian writers of the 20th century risked their lives in insisting on moral absolutes to counter Soviet doctrine. Zamyatin's We inspired Brave New World and 1984; Bulgakov's Master and Margarita remained hidden for 27 years; Solzhenitsyn risked submitting Ivan Denisovich during Khrushchev's Thaw--each decade has its characteristic masterpiece.

Students who wish to read excerpts from the course offerings in the original Russian should see the instructor to enroll in a half-credit tutorial.

MAJOR READINGS

Pushkin, "The Bronze Horseman"
Bely, PETERSBURG
Brown, RUSSIAN LITERATURE SINCE THE REVOLUTION
Bulgakov, MASTER AND MARGARITA
Zamyatin, WE
Blok, "The Twelve"
Olesha, ENVY
Solzhenitsyn, A DAY IN THE LIFE OF IVAN DENISOVICH; MATROYONA'S HOME
Bulgakov, THE MASTER AND MARGARITA
Aksenov, "The Victory"
Bitov, LIFE IN WINDY WEATHER
Aleshkovsky, "Tractor Driver Malykin"
Petrushevskaya, THE TIME: NIGHT
Tatyana Tolstaya, STORIES
Ulitskaya, THE FUNERAL PARTY

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Three 4-page papers, and a final.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

Oral presentation. Literature in Translation.

Attendance and participation are required.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA RUSS    Grading Mode: Student Option   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-30-2006

Contact wesmaps@wesleyan.edu to submit comments or suggestions. Please include a url, course title, faculty name or other page reference in your email

Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459