LFU:online

The course provides an overview of the distinctive features and the development of Russian literature and culture from the beginning of the 20th century until today.

Russian literature of the 20th centura has developed in a more interesting and diversified way than almost all others in Europe. This is partly due to its close bond with the country’s history. Russian literature reacts to Revolution, Civil war and WWII. It displays bold technical experiments, promotes new people and socialist heroes: men and women working shifts and breaking records. The Russian literature however portrays the artists’ fears of the State too: Working camps or escape into exile. Finally from the 70’s onwards it undermines the socialist system and after its collapse promotes popular genres such as detective stories.
The lecture focuses on the interplay and close relationship between literature, history and society which is still present today. Furthermore it seeks to display the differences and similarities between Russian literature and culture and other European cultures.

Lecture course; reading the course material is a requirement.

Written (test)

Bowlt, John E. (Hg.): Laboratory of Dreams. The Russian Avant-Garde and Cultural Experiment. Stanford 1996.

Bürger, Peter: Theorie der Avantgarde. Frankfurt a. M. 1974.

Clark, Katerina: The Soviet Novel. History as Ritual. Chicago 1981.

Dobrenko, Evgenij, Gjunter, Hans (Hg.): Socrealističeskij kanon. Sankt Peterburg 2000.

Groys, Boris: Gesamtkunstwerk Stalin. München 1988.

Günther, Hans: Die Verstaatlichung der Literatur. Stuttgart 1984.

Haumann, Heiko: Geschichte Russlands. München 1996.

Kappeler, Andreas: Russiche Geschichte. München 2014.

Städtke, Klaus (Hg.): Russische Literaturgeschichte. Stuttgart, Weimar 2002.

Due to substantial differences in the allocation of ECTS-Credits in various curricula (teacher training programs/specialized degree programs), the requirements for this course vary. Information will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the course.