Th.

Theme

Readings

9/5

Introduction

Symbolism and Decadence (Xerox)
Manifestoes:
Konstantin Balmont: "Elementary Words on Symbolist Poetry [excerpts]
Dmitry Merezhkovsky: "On the Reasons for The Decline and on the New Tendencies in Contemporary Russian Literature"
Poetry:
Vladimir Solovyov "Dearest friend, do you not see…"
Zinaida Hippius: "Song," "Flowers of the Night," "She"
Mirra Lokhvitskaya: "Before Sunset"
Aleksander Blok: "To My Muse"

9/12

Post-symbolism

1. Acmeism (Xerox)
Manifestoes:
Nikokai Gumilev: "Sybolism's Legacy and Acmeism"
 Osip Mandelstam: "The Morning of Acmeism," "About the Nature of the Word,"
Poems:
Osip Mandelstam: "Tristia," "Notre Dame," Orioles in the trees…," "Insomnia"
Anna Akhmatova: "I wrung my Hands…"

2. Futurism (Xerox)
Manifestoes:
"A Slap in the Face of Public Taste"
From "A Trap for Judges"
"The Word as Such" p. 55-62
"The Letter as Such"
"Declaration of Transrational Language"

Poetry:
Vladimir Mayakovsky: Conversation with an Inspector of Taxes about Poetry(The English prose translation is on the bottom half of the pages)
Velimir Khlebnikov:
"Incantation by Laughter" (see also "Guffaw Incantation"), Excerpt from Zangezi (and the accompanying "List"), "Hard Talk" and "Soft Talk", "Bo-be-o-bee sang the mouth"

9/19

Revolution

Aleksandr Blok, The Twelve (Xerox) Note: The photocopy contains two translations of the poem.
Isaac Babel "My First Goose,"  (PRR) and Xeroxes:
"A Letter," "Gedali," "The Death of Dolgushov," and "The Journey"

9/26

Defining the present

Evgeny Zamyatin "The Cave" (PRR)
Mikhail Zoshchenko "Bees and People" (PRR),
and course packet: "The Bathhouse,"
"Nervous People," "Poverty"
Boris Pilnyak "Mahogony,"
Mikhail Bulgakov: Moscow in the Twenties

10/3

Abandoning the past

Yurii Olesha: Envy (PRR)

Mon. Oct. 7^th    Take-home Mid-term exam due by 5 p.m.

10/10

Envisioning the future

Evgeny Zamyatin We

10/17

Fall break

10/24

Criticism of Socialism

Mikhail Bulgakov, Master and Margarita, Part I

10/31

Criticism of Oppression

Master and Margarita, Part II

Mon. Nov. 4^th           First paper            Due by 5 p.m.

11/7

Stalin; Silence

Anna Akhmatova: Requiem (Xerox)

11/14

The Thaw

Abram Tertz [Andrei Sinyavsky] The Trial Begins;
Aleksandr Yashin "Levers" and D. Granin "One's Own Opinion" from The Year of Protest, McLean

11/21

Slices of Russian Life:
Village, Prison

Aleksander Solzhenitsyn: One day in the Life of Ivan Denysovich, and  "Matryona's Home" (PRR)

11/28

Thanksgiving Break

Mon.  Dec. 9^th           Second paper          Due by 5 p.m.

12/5

Glasnost'

Goscilo and Lindsey, eds., Glasnost: An Anthology of Russian Literature Under Gorbachev:
Liudmila Petrushevskaya, "Our Circle"
Vladimir Makanin, "Left Behind"

12/12

Post-Soviet Lit.

Victor Pelevin Homo Zapiens