To study the development of Soviet literature through the 20th century, with equal emphasis on the literary, social and philosophical problems raised by the leading writers of the age. Questions of the responsibility of the individual to himself and to the social collective, so important to 20th century Soviet intellectual life, will be the focus.

Masterpieces of Russian literature, novels, drama, and short stories, will be analyzed from the perspective of the themes and the ideas they express, and the literary styles they demonstrate. Where relevant, the broader cultural world will be surveyed.

The course will be based on discussion of the primary texts, and will emphasize original critical analysis. Course requirements will be two short papers, a take-home midterm and a final, or alternative option. Because Russian authors are notoriously long winded, effort has been made to select the shorter masterpieces of Russian literature. Feature motion pictures from the Soviet Union will be used to give students a visual sense of differences in Russian culture.

Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita
Anton Chekhov, Three Sisters
Boris Pasternak, Dr. Zhivago
Mikhail Sholkohov, Quit flows the Don (Part I)
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovish
Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina