ADVANCED
RUSSIAN:
Poetic Text Analysis
SYLLABUS
Fall 2003: RUSS 436/536
MUHF
11:00-11:20 627 PLC
Instructor:
Yelaina Kripkov
Office:
PLC, 245
Office
hours: UH 12:00-12:50 p.m. (or by appointment)
Office
phone: 346-4077, home: 345-9122, email: ykripkov@oregon.uoregon.edu
Russian
Poetry has always been the finest expression of Russian soul and the brightest
manifestation of Russian Culture. This course will introduce students to poetic
masterpieces of Russian Silver Age (1890-1930). We will analyze the poems by
Balmont, Sologub, Hippius, Briusov, Ivanov, Bely, Blok, Gumilev, Akhmatova,
Mandelstam, Tsvetaeva, Yesenin, Mayakovsky, and Pasternak.
The
course will emphasize poetic text analysis. Students will learn about cultural
context and acquire skills of interpretation of Russian poetry and its
expressive means. They will learn to speak and write about Russian poetry in
Russian.
Lectures and discussions will be mostly in
Russian, readings Ñ in Russian and English, texts Ñ in Russian and in
translation.
Welcome to
the magic world of Russian Poetry!
Course
requirements:
1.
Participation in discussions.
2.
One (or two) short written analysis of a poem for each poet (due after
finishing
studying that poet).
3.
A few short oral presentations: analyses of a few poems.
4.
Learning by heart a few favorite poems (by student's choice).
5.
Midterm exam (written).
6.
Final oral/written examination (according to the Russian academic tradition)
scheduled during the day of the exam (10:15, Monday, December 8).
Required
readings (provided by the instructor):
1. A packet: Anthology
of Russian Silver Age Poetry
2. Victor Terras. Poetry
of the Silver Age.
3. Handouts from ÒRusskie poety serebrianogo veka.
Attendance.
Students are expected to attend classes regularly. Failure to appear in class
more than two times without an excuse will result in a lower grade.
Grade distribution:
participation
in discussion - 20%
written analyses - 20%
oral
presentations - 20%
midterm
- 20%
final
oral exam - 20%
The Schedule and Assignments for Classes:
1st week
About the course.
Russian poetry by the end of the 19th c. The Silver Age.
Russian
versification. Poetics and poetic means.
(Terras, pp. 1-15;
Anthology: Vladimir Soloviev.)
Symbolism. Vladimir
Soloviev Ð philosopher and poet. The scheme of text analysis.
Text analysis and poetic means.
(Terras, pp. 48-62;
Anthology: Konstantin Balmont.)
2nd week
Symbolism and
decadence. Konstantin Balmont. Poetry analysis.
(Terras, pp. 48-62;
Anthology: Konstantin Balmont.)
Konstantin
BalmontÐoral presentation and discussion.
Zinaida Hippius.
Poetry analysis.
(Terras, pp. 63-76;
Anthology: Zinaida Hippius.)
3rd week
Zinaida HippiusÐoral
presentation and discussion.
Fedor Sologub.
Poetry analysis.
(Terras, pp. 32-47;
Anthology: Fedor Sologub.)
Fedor SologubÐoral
presentation and discussion.
Valery Briusov,
Viacheslav Ivanov, Andrey Bely. Poetry analysis.
(Terras, pp. 77-117;
Anthology: Briusov, Ivanov, Bely.)
4th week
Briusov, Ivanov,
BelyÐoral presentations and discussion.
(Terras, pp.
118-144; Anthology: Alexander Blok.)
Alexander Blok.
Periods. Poetry analysis.
(Terras, pp.
118-144; Anthology: Alexander Blok. )
5th week
Alexander BlokÐoral
presentations and discussion.
Midterm exam.
6th week
Akmeism. Nikolai
Gumilev. Poetry analysis.
(Terras, pp.
145-158; Anthology: Nikolai Gumilev.)
Nikolai GumilevÐoral
presentation and discussion.
Osip Mandelstam.
Poetry analysis.
(Terras, pp.
184-218; Anthology: Osip Mandelstam.)
7th week
Osip MandelstamÐoral
presentation and discussion.
Anna Akhmatova. Periods. Poetry analysis.
(Terras, pp.
159-183; Anthology: Anna Akhmatova.)
Anna AkhmatovaÐoral
presentations and discussion.
(Terras, pp.
159-183; Anthology: Anna Akhmatova.)
8th week
Anna AkhmatovaÐoral
presentation and discussion.
Futurism. Vladimir
Mayakovsky. Periods. Poetry analysis.
(Terras, pp.
219-224; 241-266; Anthology: Vladimir Mayakovsky.)
Vladimir
MayakovskyÐoral presentation and discussion.
Imagism. Sergei
Yesenin. Periods. Poetry analysis.
(Additional
handouts; Anthology: Sergei Yesenin.)
9th week
Sergei YeseninÐoral
presentation and discussion.
Marina Tsvetaeva.
Periods. Poetry analysis.
(Terras, pp. 302-331;
Anthology: Marina Tsvetaeva.)
Marina
TsvetaevaÐoral presentations and discussion.
(Terras, pp.
302-331; Anthology: Marina Tsvetaeva.)
10th week
Marina
TsvetaevaÐoral presentation and discussion.
Boris Pasternak.
Periods. Poetry analysis.
(Terras, pp.
267-288; Anthology: Boris Pasternak.)
Boris PasternakÐoral
presentation and discussion.
Summing up.
Instructions for the final exam.
Final exam: 10:15,
Monday, December 8.
Books on reserve:
1. The New Princeton
Handbook of Poetic Terms. (ed.
Brogan)
2. Renato Poggioli. The Poets of Russia
1890-1939.
3. Yury Lotman. Analysis
of the Poetic Text.
4. Iurii Lotman. Analiz
poeticheskogo teksta.