RUSSIAN LITERATURE I

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Course code:

L0037

Academic Year of enrolment:

2016

Year of supply:

2018/2019

Type of Course:

Elective Course

Degree:

Course of 1st Cycle Degree in LINGUISTIC MEDIATION AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Disciplinary Sector:

Slavic Studies

Location:

PESCARA

Credits:

Programme Year:

Cycle:

Second semester

Hours of classroom activity:

Prerequisites:

PREREQUISITES
Level B1 (Reading) of Russian.

Objectives

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The purpose of the course is to present the evolution and the main literary phenomena of the Russian literature of the first half of the 19th century, the so-called “golden age” of Russian literature. While developing an intermediate level of Russian, students will analyze selected literary works of the main authors of the period: Pushkin, Lermontov and Gogol’.
The aims of the course include:
- building on learners's knowledge and understanding of the culture and literature of Russia.
- developing critical and analytical skills
- enhancing learners' understanding of Russian literary texts.

Contents

TOPICS
Russian literature of the first half of the19th century.

Extended Syllabus

COURSE SYLLABUS
- Historical and cultural background. Periodization of the Russian literature of the first half of the 19th century.
- Diffusion and influence of West-European literatures.
- Works of Aleksandr Pushkin. Periodization. His contribution to the development of new genres. Lyric; the novel in verse Evgenij Onegin. Analyzing selected lyrics and passages (in Russian) from the literary works: Pushkin’s language and style.
- Works of Michail Lermontov. Lyric; composition strategies in the novel A Hero of Our Time. Analyzing selected lyrics and passages (in Russian) from the novel: Lermontov’s language and literary ‘devices’.
- Romanticism in Russia. The byronic hero: parallels between Onegin and Pechorin (A Hero of Our Time).
- Works of Nikolai Gogol. Gogol’s cultural mythes: Ukraina, St.Petersburg, Rome. The novel Dead souls. Analyzing selected passages (in Russian) from the novel: Gogol’s style.
- Forties of the 19th century. Belinsky.
- Literary criticism on Pushkin and Gogol in the 20th century: 1.Introduction to Lotman’s semiotic analyze of Evgenij Onegin; 2. The peculiarity of Sinjavskij’s view of Gogol’s art.

Recommended Bibliography

READING MATERIALS
COMPULSORY READING:
a) LITERARY WORKS:
- A. S. Puškin, Evgenij Onegin
- A. S. Puškin, Selected Lyrics.
- M. Ju. Lermontov, Un eroe del nostro tempo
- M. Ju. Lermontov, Selected Lyrics.
- N.V.Gogol’, Le anime morte
Linguistic and stylistic analysis of selected passages from Russian textes: A. S. Puškin, Evgenij Onegin; M. Ju. Lermontov, Geroj našego vremeni; N.V.Gogol’, Mërtvye duši.
b) REFERENCE WORKS
Historical and cultural background: R. Bartlett, Storia della Russia, Milano: Oscar Mondadori, 2007 e ed. successive (cap.IV: ”La Russia e l’Europa: apogeo e declino dello stato autocratico.1760-1860”).
Literary criticism: To choose from among: 1. Ju.M.Lotman, Il testo e la storia: L’”Evgenij Onegin” di Puškin, Il Mulino, Bologna, 1985; 2. A. Sinjavskij, Nell’ombra di Gogol’, Garzanti, Milano, 1980.
STUDENTS studying ON THEIR OWN will prepare additional reference works: Storia della civiltà letteraria russa, Torino: UTET, 1997, vol.I: chpts “Puškin”, “Lermontov”, “Gogol’”, “Belinskij e l’occidentalismo degli anni Quaranta”.

Teaching Methods

COURSE STRUCTURE
The course is structured in an amount of 36 class hours. It consists in classes of history of literature and literary criticism, and in analysis of literary works by Pushkin, Lermontov and Gogol.

Evaluation methods

Verification of learning:

COURSE GRADE DETERMINATION
End-of-semester assessment consists in an oral examination.

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

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