Russian 11: Introduction to Russian Culture

• Thompson, Russia and the Soviet Union: An Historical Introduction from the Kievan State to the Present, (Bookstore) Ch. 1: "Ancient Russia and the Kievan State" (p 1-24)
• Terras, V. ed., Handbook of Russian Literature (McCabe reference section) "Cyrillic" (p 92)
• Zenkovsky, Medieval Russia's Epics, Chronicles, and Tales (Bookstore)
1. "The Apostle Andrew Came to Russia" (p 47)
2. "The Founding of the City of Kiev" (p 48)
3. "The Beginning of the Russian State and the Arrival of Rurik" (p 49-51)
4. "Vladimir Christianizes Russia" (p 65-71)

• Balzer, ed. Russian Traditional Culture: Religion, Gender, and Customary Law, (Reserve)

1. "The Introduction of Christianity in Russia and the Pagan Traditions," Froianov, et al. (p 3-15)
2. "The Woman in Ancient Russia," Pushkareva (p 105-121)

• Thompson, Chapter 2: "Russia Divided and Conquered, 1054-1462" (p 25-40)
• Rzhevsky, The Cambridge Companion to Modern Russian Culture (McCabe Reference section) "Asia," Bassin (p 57-66)
• Halperin, Russia and the Golden Horde (Reserve)
  1. Chapter 3 "The Mongol Empire and the Golden Horde" (p 21-32)
  2. Chapter 4 "The Mongol Administration of Russia" (p 33-43)
  
• Zenkovsky, Medieval Russia's Epics

1. "The Lay of Igor's Campaign" (p 167-190)
2. "Tale of the Destruction of Riazan (p 198-207)

• Thompson, Chapter 3: "Moscow and 'the Gathering of the Russian Lands,' 1328-1533" (p 41-57)
• Afanasev: Russian Fairy Tales by Afanas'ev (Reserve)

1. "The Old Woman Who Ran Away" (p 182-83)
2. "The Frog Princess" (p 119-23)
3. "Baba Yaga" (p 194-95) (And illustration p 445 of hut on chicken legs)
4. "Baba Yaga and the Brave Youth" (p 76-79)
5. "The Three Kingdoms" (p. 49-53) (And illustration p 539 of Russian stove)
6. "The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa" (p 494-97)
7. "The Sea King and Vasilisa the Wise" (p 427-436)

• Hubbs, Mother Russia: The Feminine Myth in Russian Culture , (Reserve) " Rusalki and Baba Yaga" (p. 24-52)

• Thompson, Chapter 4: "Ivan the Terrible and the Time of Troubles, 1533-1618" (p 58-74)
  Pouncy, The Domostroi: Rules for Russian Households under Ivan the Terrible (Bookstore)
  1. Introduction (p 1-21)
  2. Selections (by number): Preface, 1-8, 12-18, 20-34, 36, 38, 42, 45-49, 55-56, 59-62, 64 (A Father's Epistle Instructing his son) and 67 (Wedding rituals---read one or two). Skim through some menu suggestions, #s 64, 65.

• Thompson, Chapter 5: "The Molding of Russian Society, 1613-89" (p 75-92)
• James Billington, The Icon and the Axe , (Reserve) "Axe and Icon," (p 26-37), view plates I-IV, V-VII (p 105-106, 199-200)


• Andrei Tarkovsky, dir. [video] Andrei Rublev


• Zenkovsky, "The Life of Archpriest Avvakum..." (p 399-448)

* Lecture: Elena Bonner. Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m. Scheuer Room, Kohlberg Hall

• Thompson, Chapter 6: "Peter the Great and Westernization, 1698-1725" (p 93-108)


• Cracraft, Peter the Great Transforms Russia (Reserve)

1. "The Transformation of State Institutions," Bogoslovsky (p 87-96)
2. "The New Service State," Pipes (p 105-113)
3. "Peter the Man: Character and Personality," Anderson (p 219-230)
4. "Opposition to Peter the Great," Cracraft (p 258-271)
5. "Peter's Domestic Legacy: Transformation or Revolution?," Raeff (p 286-301)

• Thompson, Chapter 7: "Change and Continuity, 1725-1801" (p 109-128)
• Rzhevsky, The Cambridge Companion to Modern Russian Culture (Reference) "Asia," Bassin (p 66-71)
• Dashkova, Memoirs of Princess Dashkova (Reserve) "Introduction," Geheith (p 1-26)
• Costlow, Sexuality and the Body in Russian Culture, "Marriage à la russe," Vowles (p 53-72)

* Sept. 28 Paper #1 (5-7 pages) First draft due by midnight

Oct. 3 Slavophiles and Westernizers

• Thompson, Chapter 8: "Power, Backwardness, and Creativity, 1801-55" (p 129-146)
• Rzhevsky, The Cambridge Companion to Modern Russian Culture (McCabe Reference section) "Asia," Bassin (p 71-79)
• Rzhevsky, The Cambridge Companion to Modern Russian Culture (McCabe Reference) "The West," Hart (p 85-102)


• Gogol, Collected tales and plays (Reserve) "The Overcoat" (p 562-592)
• Dostoevsky, A Writer's Diary (Binder) "The Peasant Marey" (p 351-355)
• Comments for Paper #1 due to author, return in class Oct. 3

• Thompson, Chapter 9: "Reform, Reaction, and Modernization, 1855-1904" (p 147-167)
• Stites, Revolutionary Dreams:Utopian Vision and Experimental Life in the Russian Revolution (Reserve) "Social Daydreaming Before the Revolution" (p 13-36)


• Suzanne Massey, The Land of the Firebird, (Reserve) "The Wanderers [and the Mighty Handful]" (only p 325-338)


• The Itinerants: Russian Painters Series (Reserve) Examine plates (listed by number):

23. Vasnetsov "After the Battle of Prince Igor Sviatoslavich with the Polovtsy" (The Lay of Igor's Campaign)
24. Kramskoy "Mina Moiseyev"
28. Repin "Religious Procession in Kursk Province" (see also detail plates)
29. Repin "They Did Not Expect Him"
33. Surikov "The Morning of the Execution of the Streltsy" (Peter the Great ordered the execution of the palace guard opposing his authority)
34. Surikov "The Boyarina Morozova" (and detail plates)
45. S. Ivanov "Death of a Migrant Peasant"
50. Baksheyev "The Prose of Life"
52. Bogdanov "The Novice"
54. Bogdanov "At the School Door"

* Oct. 6 Paper #1 (Revised) due by midnight

Oct. 10 The Mighty Handful, The Ballets Russes

• Rzhevsky, The Cambridge Companion to Modern Russian Culture "Music," Robinson (p 236-263)
• Mussorgsky, [CD] (LRC reserve) --55 min.

1. Pictures at an Exhibition (along with Hartmann drawings)
2. Night on Bald Mountain

• Massey, The Land of the Firebird, (Reserve) "Diaghilev and The Ballets Russes" (p 431-449)
  
• Paris Dances Diaghilev, [Video] Paris Opera Ballet Company, conducted by Michel Tabachnik (Reserve, Underhill Library)

• Binder:

1. Sergius Bulgakov, The Orthodox Church, "The Orthodox Ethic," (p 153-155)
2. Nicolas Zernov, The Russians and their Church, "The Message of the Russian Church," (p 176-183)
3. George Pahomov, Bryn Mawr Now, Fall '88," Russia and the Millennium of Christianity," (p 1-3)
4. Ugolnik, The Illuminating Icon "Salvific Beauty," "Integral Knowledge" (p181-197)

• Zenkovsky, Medieval Russia's Epics, Chronicles, and Tales

1. "The Martyrdom of Boris and Gleb," (p 101-105)
2. "Epiphanius the Wise: The Life...of...Holy Father Sergius of Radonezh," (p. 262-290)

• Stanislavsky, My Life in Art (Reserve)

1. "Fundamentals of Art Material" (p 161-8)
2. "The Last Year with Chekhov" (p 415-9)
3. "The Beginnings of My System" (p 458-467)

• Chekhov The Cherry Orchard


• Herbert, ed., Modern Artists on Art: Ten Unabridged Essays (Reserve)

1. "Reminiscences," Kandinsky (p 19-44)
2. "Suprematism," Malevich (p 92-102)

• Thompson, Chapter 10: "Revolution, Reform and War, 1904-17" (p 168-186)
• Hughes, [video] Red Empire: Revolutionaries (Vol. I) (Reserve)


• Stites Revolutionary Dreams: Utopian Vision...(Reserve)

1. "Revolution: Utopias in the Air and on the Ground" (p 37-57)
2. "Revolutionary Iconoclasm" (p 61-78)

*Oct. 26 Paper #2 (5-7 pages) First draft due by midnight

Oct. 31 Society: Revolution and the transition to Soviet society; Constructivism, Agitprop

• Thompson, Chapter 11: "Revolution, Civil War, and the Founding of Soviet Society, 1917-28" (p 187-210)


• Kollontai, Love of Worker Bees (Bookstore)


• Bulgakov (Binder) "On Housing"
• Comments for Paper #2 due to author, return in class

• [video] Russian Folk Music and Dance (Underhill Music Library)
• Stites, Russian Popular Culture (Reserve) "Stalin by Starlight, 1928-1941" (p 64-97)

*Nov. 3 Paper #2 (Revised) due by midnight

Nov. 7 Society: Stalinism, collectivization, WWII

• Thompson, Chapter 12: "The Second Revolution, the Stalinist System, and World War II, 1928-46" (p 211-233)
• Readings in Russian Civilization, Vol. III (Binder) "The History of a Soviet Collective Farm," Belov (p 542-566)


• Chukovskaya, Sofiya Petrovna, (Bookstore)

• Thompson, Chapter 13: "The Soviet Union as Superpower: Change, Stagnation, and 'Cold War,' 1946-82" (p 234-267)
• Mikhalkov, dir., [Video] Burnt by the Sun (Reserve)
• Stites, Russian Popular Culture (Reserve) "Springtime for Khrushchev, 1953-1964" (p 123-147)

• McLean, ed., The Year of Protest (Reserve)

1. Alexandr Yashin "Levers," p. 193-210
2. Nikolai Zhdanov "A Trip Home," p. 210-223
3. Yuri Nagibin "A Light in the Window," p. 224-233

• Abram Tertz [Andrei Sinyavsky] The Trial Begins, and essay "On Socialist Realism" (Bookstore)


• Saunders, Ed., Samizdat: Voices of the Soviet Opposition (Reserve) "Forward" (p 7-14)

• Engel, Posadskaya-Vanderbeck, eds., A Revolution of their own: Voices of Soviet Women (Bookstore)

1. "Living Someone Else's Life" (p 17-46)
2. "Taking Advantage of New Opportunities" (p 47-84)
3. "Under a Sword of Damocles" (p 155-174)
4. "Four Years as a Front-Line Physician" (p 175-218)

• Worobec, Peasant Russia: Family and Community in the Post-emancipation Period , (Reserve) "The Culture of Patriarchy" (p 175-216)


• Engel, Posadskaya-Vanderbeck, eds., A Revolution of their own: Voices of Soviet Women (Bookstore) "A Life in a Peasant Village" (p 117-131)


• Solzhenitsyn, Stories and Prose Poems, (Reserve) "Matryona's House" (p 3-52)

• Karen Shakhnazarov, dir., [video] City Zero, (LRC) 1988


• Goscilo and Lindsey, eds., Glasnost: An Anthology of Russian Literature Under Gorbachev (Bookstore) "Our Crowd," Petrushevskaya p. 3-25

• Thompson, Chapter 14: "The Gorbachev 'Revolution' and the Collapse of the Soviet Union, 1983-91" (p 268-291)
• [video] The Tailor (LRC reserve) Glasnost' Film Series
• Vasily Pichul, dir [video] Little Vera, 1988 (Reserve)
  

*Sunday Dec. 3 Paper #3 (5-7 pages) First draft due by midnight

• Goscilo and Lindsey, eds., Glasnost: An Anthology of Russian Literature Under Gorbachev -(Bookstore) "Left Behind," Makanin (p. 195-271)
• Reis, Russian Talk: Culture and Conversation during Perestroika (Reserve) "Our Fairy-Tale Life" (p 42-82)

Dec. 6th, Comments for Paper #3 due to author, return by e-mail

• Thompson, Chapter 15: "The 'New' Russia in the Post-Soviet Era" (p 292-315)
• [video] Yeltsin (LRC)


• Diment, ed. Between Heaven and Hell: The Myth of Siberia in Russian Culture (Binder) "Siberia Hot and Cold: Reconstructing the Image of Siberian Indigenous Peoples," Grant (p 227-53)

* Dec. 10 Paper #3 (Revised) due by midnight

• [video] Bye-bye Babushka, 1994 (Reserve), Rebecca Feig, dir.
• In class presentations

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