Program in Slavic Languages and Literatures

Russian 3-404/5-404:  Tolstoy in Translation

This course provides a survey of the life and literary career of Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), one of the most celebrated writers of nineteenth-century Russia. Known both as a writer of fiction and as a religious and social thinker, Tolstoy was perhaps the best-known Russian of his time. Class time is split between lectures on Tolstoy's life and work and discussions of the required readings. This year we will be reading Tolstoy's long novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, as well as a shorter work, The Death of Ivan Ilich. We will also read a couple of selections from Tolstoy's tract on aesthetics, What Is Art? Students in the class will be evaluated on the basis of their contribution to discussions and the quality of their written work (three 5-8 page essays are required, one on each of the three main readings).  Students enrolled in Russ 5404 must, in addition, submit a term paper (see below under "Requirements").

Liberal Education Core courses lay the foundation for your Liberal Education at the University of Minnesota. Generally speaking, a Liberal Education means you have acquired a meaningful and useful introduction to the major branches of knowledge and forms of creative expression practiced at the University.  This course helps you meet the Liberal Education core requirement in Literature through close study of the language and meaning of the works we will read together.  "Close study" means the detailed analysis of assigned texts informed by an understanding of the general cultural context and literary expectations of the time and place in which the works appeared.  The cultural and intellectual milieu will be presented through a series of lectures given as a preliminary to the close study of the texts themselves.  During the subsequent discussions  of "War and Peace", "Anna Karenina," and  "The Death of Ivan Ilich" the texts will be considered from the varied points of view existing contemporaneously to them as well as from the perspective of later Russian views and more modern western approaches.  Students study the formal dimensions of literature: they study how the authors' choices -- such as the choice of genre, style, character presentation, vocabulary, or the use of symbolism -- have created a work's effect of powerfully evoking the reader's response. Class discussions will examine these formal dimensions of literature closely Especially important will be questions of artistic organization, genre and style, in particular the use of symbol, intertextual allusion, and the modulation of narrative viewpoint in producing the effects observed in the texts.  A crucial element in the consideration of Tolstoy's work is the attempt to gain an understanding of the balance between artistry and ideology in arriving at an appraisal of the text.

With its emphasis on the close analysis of texts Russ 3404 contributes especially toward the realization of the Student Learning Outcomes which mandate understanding of diverse intellectual and cultural phenomena, as illustrated by the manner in which such diversity has marked the development of Russian literature during the period studied, not only internally to Russia but also in comparison with modern Western attitudes.  Related closely to this is the encouragement of the understanding of the role played by creativity and innovation in the production of literary artifacts and in the significance which have been accorded to these factors in various periods, both within the culture of Russia and by comparison with our own.

Course Requirements:  All readings should be completed by the date indicated for the beginning of discussion about them. All students must submit three 5-8 page papers, one on each of the three main readings, in which they respond to topics which will be supplied by the instructor.  Due dates for these three papers are shown in the class calendar.

In addition, students registered for Russ 5404 must submit (by Tuesday, May 12th) a 12-15 page research paper or interpretive essay on a subject mutually agreed to by student and instructor.  Russ 5404 students are best advised to obtain agreement to their proposed topic by the mid-point of the semester, or very shortly thereafter.  I invite you to submit a detailed outline or preliminary draft of your paper for review prior to handing in your final product.  This term-paper requirement is intended for graduate students only.  However, undergraduate students who register for Russ 5404 should be aware that they too must submit the paper described here to complete the requirements of the course.

Special Note:  While the readings for this course are all, of course, purest gold, War and Peace and Anna Karenina are both very long books.  It sometimes happens that students, even with the best of intentions, find themselves unable to complete the readings in a timely fashion.  If you find yourself in this unhappy circumstance you should at least consult such digests of these works as supplied, for example, by SparkNotes (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/) or CliffsNotes (http://www.cliffsnotes.com/ ) so that you will be conversant with at least the general story line at the time of discussion.

Supplementary information about Russian literature prior to Tolstoy is available on the instructor's home page: Supplementary Materials on Russian Literature

General information about Tolstoy as a writer and especially about his writings for the popular audience is available at PopLit

A list of works by Tolstoy available on-line in English translation is available at http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Tolstoy, Leo, graf, 1828-1910

Grades for this class are computed as follows:

Calendar of Class Meetings

Invitation: I would be happy to discuss questions or concerns pertaining to this class with you; please don't hesitate to call on me. Good luck this semester!