RUSS 212-01, Materpieces of Russian Literature (Nineteenth Century), Spring 2008

Abstract

Russian literature of the Nineteenth Century is a complex and fascinating phenomenon. Ironically, it flourishes with particular vibrancy during one of Russia’s most repressive regimes – that of Nikolai I (known as “The Iron Tsar”). Russian literature of this time grapples with some of the most interesting and difficult questions concerning the intellectual’s role in society, personal and social mores, and the role of literature itself. In addition, there is the constant issue of the West’s influence on Russian culture and of Russian literature’s influence on the West (what Malcolm V. Jones said about the Russian intelligentsia could easily be said about Russian literature of the nineteenth century, namely, that it is “both a channel for the assimilation of Western cultural traditions and a vehicle for the affirmation of Russia’s own unique experience and values … .”1). This course aims at fostering an appreciation for the many-sidedness of Russian literature of this period, while explaining the cultural and socio-political context of its development.