Parody: Russian and Western, Theory and Practice
CHUM 267
Spring 2008
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
REES 267, RUSS 267 |
Parody is a form of artistic expression that is difficult to define but that has played a major role in literary history, largely through its power of critical revision, that according to the Russian formalists is a driving force in literary evolution. Linda Hutcheon's formulation, that parody is "repetition with critical distance, which marks difference rather than similarity," provides perhaps the broadest and most fruitful point of departure. The course will consider various definitions of parody offered by Russian and Western literary theorists. The major case study will be a close reading of Fyodor Dostoevsky's magnificently parodic novel THE DEVILS, along with the target texts to which the novel responds and with which it plays (works by Pushkin, Turgenev, and others). Serious literary parody as employed by Dostoevsky will be compared to parody as pure humor (Woody Allen, MAD magazine). The course will also include discussion of recent legal issues raised by parody, in the cases of 2 Live Crew/Roy Orbison (which led to a Supreme Court decision in which Justice David Souter offered his own definition of parody) and GONE WITH THE WIND/THE WIND DONE GONE. |
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Essential Capabilities:
Interpretation
Students in this course will read a variety of theoretical works on parody and will develop their own theoretical approaches to parody. They will learn to interpret literary and other artistic works (continued below in "additional requirements".)
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA RUSS |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CSCT)(REES-MN)(REES-Lang/Lit/C) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Yuri Tynianov, THEORY OF PARODY (GOGOL AND DOSTOEVSKY)
Mikhail Bakhtin, selected works
Linda Hutcheon, A THEORY OF PARODY
Nikolai Gogol, SELECTED PASSAGES FROM CORRESPONDENCE WITH FRIENDS (excerpts)
Fedor Dostoevsky, THE VILLAGE OF STEPANCHIKOVO, THE DEVILS
Ivan Turgenev, FATHERS AND SONS, "Enough!," "Phantoms," "The Execution of Troppmann"
Woody Allen, selected works
Dwight MacDonald, PARODY (excerpts)
MAD magazine, vintage issues from the private collection of the instructor
Supreme Court decision in re 2 Live Crew
Margaret Mitchell, GONE WITH THE WIND (excerpts)
Alice Randall, THE WIND DONE GONE (excerpts)
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Examinations and Assignments:
Three papers (optionally including one parody). Oral presentation. Attendance and participation. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
(continued from above "Interpretation" capability justification)...with reference to the various ways parody functions. Each student will develop an analytical project involving parody and will present the project to the class in a 25-minute discussion. |
| Instructor(s): Fusso,Susanne Grace Times: .M.W... 02:40PM-04:00PM; Location: RLAN106; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: 3 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: 6 | GRAD: 0 | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 3 | FR: 4 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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