JSB_SLAV56 Postmodernist Literature of the Balkans

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Pavel Pilch, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Petr Stehlík, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Pavel Pilch, Ph.D.
Department of Slavonic Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Petr Stehlík, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Slavonic Studies – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
Seminar is based on reading selected literary works of Balkan, mainly South Slavic autors, that can be identified as post-modern and that were translated to Czech. Solid home preparation and active participation in seminar is required.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Aim of this course is to present milestones of development of post-modern literature in Balkan countries and compare them to general world literary development. Besides the initial presentation of post-modern era and art, works with post-modern features will be analysed in mutual relations and connections.
Learning outcomes
Upon absolving this course, students will be able to analyse individual post-modern literary works, put them in context of literary development (mainly in Balkans) and interpret them. They will have a solid base for further study of (not only Balkan) post-modern literature.
Syllabus
  • 1) What is post-modernism?
  • 2) Typical features of post-modern literature
  • 3) Non-Balkan examples of post-modern thinking and literature (U. Eco, K. Vonnegut, R. Bolaňo, J. L. Borges, J. Kratochvil)
  • 4) Reading, analysis and interpretation of selected works of Balkan writers:
  • MILORAD PAVIĆ: Chazar Dictionary
  • DUBRAVKA UGREŠIĆ: Steffie Speck in the Jaws of Life
  • PAVAO PAVLIČIĆ: Selected novels
  • DANILO KIŠ: The Encyclopaedia of the Dead
  • DAVID ALBAHARI: Selected novels
  • PETRU CIMPOEŞU: Christina Domestica and the Soul Hunters
  • PANAGIOTIS AGAPITOS: The Ebony Lute
  • THEODORA DIMOVA: Mothers
Literature
    required literature
  • Lexikon teorie literatury a kultury : koncepce / osobnosti / základní pojmy. Edited by Ansgar Nünning - Jiří Trávníček - Jiří Holý, Translated by Al. Vydání první. Brno: Host, 2006, 912 stran. ISBN 8072941704. info
  • BORECKÝ, Bořivoj and Růžena DOSTÁLOVÁ. Slovník řeckých spisovatelů. Druhé, přepracované a dop. Praha: LEDA, 2006, 663 stran. ISBN 8073350661. info
  • DOROVSKÝ, Ivan. Slovník balkánských spisovatelů. Albánská, bosensko-hercegovská, bulharská, chorvatská, makedonská, slovinská, srbská a černohorská literatura (Dictionary of the Balkan Authors. Albanian, Bosnian-Herzegovinian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Slovenian, Serbian and Montenegrian Literature). 1. vyd. Praha: LIBRI, 2001, 683 pp. Slovníky spisovatelů. ISBN 80-7277-006-3. info
    recommended literature
  • MILOŠEVIĆ, Petar. Storija srpske književnosti. Beograd: Službeni glasnik, 2010, 846 s. ISBN 9788651904489. info
  • CHVATÍK, Květoslav. Od avantgardy k druhé moderně : (cestami filozofie a literatury). Vyd. 1. Praha: Torst, 2004, 424 s. ISBN 8072152149. info
  • NOVAK, Slobodan Prosper. Povijest hrvatske književnosti. Split: Marjan tisak, 2004, 304 s. ISBN 9532142118. info
  • LYOTARD, Jean-François. O postmodernismu : postmoderno vysvětlované dětem : postmoderní situace. Translated by Jiří Pechar. Vyd. 1. Praha: Filosofia, 1993, 206 s. ISBN 8070070471. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, home preparation (reading), discussions
Assessment methods
Credit will be granted to students that:
  • fulfils the attendance requirements (max. 3 unexcused absences)
  • actively participates in the course (discussion, home reading)
  • absolves final oral exam
    • Language of instruction
    Czech
    Further Comments
    The course is taught annually.
    The course is taught: every week.
    The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2023.
    • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
    • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/JSB_SLAV56