RSb047 Russian Literature of the 20th Century

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Josef Šaur, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Josef Šaur, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Josef Šaur, Ph.D.
Department of Slavonic Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Josef Šaur, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Slavonic Studies – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites (in Czech)
RSb011 An Overview of Russian Lit. I
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course will introduce to students the development and the changes of Russian literature in the period from the 1917 revolution till the beginning of perestroika, with the respect to the intellectual, cultural and socio-political life in Russia. The course is focused on the key figures, works, art movements and streams of the 20th-century Russian literature. The lectures are concentrated on three sections of literature: the best pieces of the officially published literature, Underground Literature and Emigration Literature. The emphasis is laid on the independent reading that is controlled on the exam.
Learning outcomes
After finishing the course, the student will be able:
- to identify and to sum up the main characteristics of the 20th-century Russian literature;
- to determine and to describe the relations between literary and socio-political developments;
- to name and to characterize movements, streams and literary groups connected to the 20th-century Russian literature;
- to put certain authors and their works to the literary context.
Syllabus
  • 1. The evolution and literary streams or movements of the 20th-century Russian literature that reflects the phenomenon of reassessment of cultural values in connection with the political changes in the late 20th century. The ideological and aesthetic intentions of the Russian literary process in the 20th century.
  • 2. The range of styles in the 1920’s and 1930’s Russian poetry—e.g. Majakovskiy, Yesenin, Boris Pasternak and Akhmatova.
  • 3. The styles and genre modifications of the 1920’s and 1930’s Russian prose: neo-realism—e.g. Zamyatin, analytical realism—e.g. Sholokhov, metaphorical realism—e.g. Bulgakov, Ilf-Petrov and Platonov, and romanticism—e.g. Grin and Prishvin.
  • 4. The literature of The Great Patriotic War period - the genres, ideological content and the leading figures.
  • 5. The key movements in the poetry of the second half of the 20th century—e.g. Yevtushenko, Okudžava, Vysockij, Sosnora, etc.
  • 6. The evolution of the 20th-century novel—e.g. Zamyatin, Sholokhov, Bulgakov, Pasternak, Solzhenicyn and Ajtmatov.
  • 7. The dynamics and development of small epic forms in the 20th-century Russian literature– e.g. Sholokhov, Zoshchenko, Platonov, Rasputin, Shukchin and Nagibin.
  • 8. The problems of the 20th-century Russian satire, the forms and genres—e.g. Majakovskiy, Erenburg, Zoshchenko, Platonov, Bulgakov and Shukshin.
  • 9. The new forms and artistic means in the Russian drama—e.g. Mayakovskiy, Bulgakov, Shvarz, Vampilov, Gorin and Petrushevskaya.
  • 10. The epic and psychological stream in the Russian early post-war literature—e.g- Sholokhov, Nyekrasov, Bondarev, Vasiljev and Astafyev.
  • 11. The so called 1970’s “country prose”, its ideological content and psychological artistry—e.g. Shukshin, Rasputin, etc.
  • 12. Literature of Russian Emigration in the 20th century—the leading figures and artefacts.
  • 13. The Apocalyptical motives in the 1980’s Russian literature—e.g. Rasputin, Astafyev, Byelov etc.
Literature
    required literature
  • Kol.aut.:Slovník ruských, ukrajinských a běloruských spisovatelů. Libri 2001.
  • HRALA, Milan. Ruská moderní literatura 1890-2000. Vyd. 1. Praha: Karolinum, 2007, 767 s. ISBN 9788024612010. info
  • ZAHRÁDKA, Miroslav. Ruská literatura XX. století :(literární proudy a osobnosti). Olomouc: Periplum, 2003, 236 s. ISBN 80-86624-08-0. info
  • KASACK, Wolfgang. Slovník ruské literatury 20. století. Translated by Jiří F. Franěk. Praha: Votobia, 2000, 622 s. ISBN 8072200844. info
    recommended literature
  • LEJDERMAN, Naum Lazarevič and Mark Naumovič LIPOVECKIJ. Russkaja literatura XX veka (1950-1990-e gody) : v dvuch tomach. 6-e izdanije, ispravlennoje. Moskva: Izdatel'skij centr "Akademija", 2013, 684 stran. ISBN 9785769599439. info
  • LIPOVECKIJ, Mark Naumovič. Paralogii : transformacii (post)modernistskogo diskursa v russkoj kul'ture 1920-2000-ch godov. Moskva: Novoje literaturnoje obozrenije, 2008, xxviii, 84. ISBN 9785867935887. info
  • GLANC, Tomáš and Jana ROGOFF. Lexikon ruských avantgard 20. století. 1. vyd. Praha: Libri, 2005, 373 s. ISBN 8072772597. info
    not specified
  • L.P.Kremencov: Russkaja literatura XX veka, t.1,2. Moskva 2003.
  • Epštejn, M.: Posle buduščego.Paradoksy postmodernizma v sovremennoj russkoj kulture. Massachusetts 1996.
  • Skoropanova, I. S.: Russkaja postmodernistskaja literatura. Učebnoje posobije. Moskva 1999.
  • Nefagina, G. L.: Dinamika stilevych tečenij v russkoj proze 1980-90-ch godov. Minsk 1998.
  • Šapir, M.: Čto takoje avangard. Russkaja alternativnaja poetika. Moskva 1990.
  • Kričevskaja, Ju. R.: Modernizm v russkoj literature: epocha serediny veka. Moskva 1994.
  • Nefagina, G. L.: Russkaja proza vtoroj poloviny 80-ch-načala 90-ch godov XX veka Minsk 1998.
  • GLANC, Tomáš. Videnije russkich avangardov. Vyd. 1. V Praze: Karolinum, 1999, 175 s. ISBN 80-7184-778-X. info
  • BINOVÁ, Galina Pavlovna. Panoráma ruské literatury. 1. vyd. Boskovice: Albert, 1995, 413 s. ISBN 80-85834-04-9. info
  • DOBRENKO, Jevgenij. Metafora vlasti : literatura stalinskoj epochi v istoričeskom osveščenii. München: Otto Sagner, 1993, 405 s. ISBN 3876905567. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, seminar, comprehensive analysis of text, discussion, check of compulsory reading.
Assessment methods
Written and oral exam, check of compulsory reading.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
General note: Součástí zkoušky je kontrola povinné četby.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/RSb047