Nihilism in the Russian Novel
RUSS 284
Fall 2006 not offered
|
| Crosslisting:
REES 284 |
Around 1860 student radicals seized the attention of Russia's government and elite through their "nihilist" attacks on every existing authority, from the liberalism of their parents to the traditional values which supported the autocracy and the Orthodox church. Tolstoy wrote WAR AND PEACE as an indirect response to nihilism, and Turgenev and Dostoevsky responded by making student nihilists the heroes of FATHERS AND CHILDREN, CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, and THE DEVILS. The Russian novel was elevated to new religious and philosophical heights by its absorption of the nihilists' sense of cultural crisis and thirst for new, absolute values. Readings in Dostoevsky, Turgenev, and Tolstoy will be supplemented by selected readings from letters, essays, and biographies, which reflect Russia in the 1860's. |
|
Essential Capabilities:
Speaking, Writing |
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA RUSS |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
|
Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
Major Readings:
Dostoevsky, NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND, CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, THE DEVILS
Turgenev, FATHERS AND CHILDREN
Tolstoy, WAR AND PEACE (selected books)
Chernyshevsky, WHAT'S TO BE DONE?
Venturi, ROOTS OF REVOLUTION
Frank, DOSTOEVSKY: THE STIR OF LIBERATION
Eikhenbaum, TOLSTOY IN THE SIXTIES
Pomper, THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONARY INTELLIGENTSIA
|
Examinations and Assignments:
Weekly formulation of discussion questions, in-class mid-term, two short papers, and one final paper. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
|
|