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CS92PROD
Parody: Russian and Western, Theory and Practice
CHUM 267
Spring 2008
Section: 01  
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.

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".)
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA RUSS
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Student Option
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (CSCT)(CWRC)(REES-MN)(REES-Lang/Lit/C)
Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available

Last Updated on MAR-28-2024
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