Lecture (LEC)

• Above class open to graduates only
• Above class meets with SLAV-R 263

This course examines the explosive growth of the realist genre in nineteenth-century Russia, from its beginnings in Pushkin to its culmination in Tolstoy. Over the course of the semester, we will examine how Russian fiction participated in national debates and discuss why the novel form became increasingly popular, but our ruthless focus will be on questions of realism. How do authors convince us that they are representing the ¿real world¿ in their works? Did Russian authors have different strategies than their West European contemporaries? And where does the realist project break down? After reading the works of Pushkin, Gogol, Chekhov, Turgenev, Tur, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, students will have a comprehensive view of the nineteenth-century Russian literary tradition and also a theoretical understanding of the mechanisms and limitations of literary realism. Coursework will include, for undergraduates, a midterm exam and final paper and, for graduate students, a presentation and final paper. Knowledge of Russian not required.