LFU:online

The course provides an overview of individual literary works, issues, tendencies and stylistic forms that characterize Russian literature of the 20th and 21st century.

This STEOP course is aimed at first-year students and provides an overview of Russian literature of the 20th and 21st century. After the turn of the century, literary creativity explodes in every sense of the word, but this revolution in art is quickly suppressed by a political revolution: In the young Soviet Union, there is no more room for artistic experimentation; conformity to the system is demanded and encouraged. Literature that deviates from the ideal of socialist realism is censored, suppressed, driven underground, or expelled. A critical examination of socialist reality is initially only possible underground, but gains increasing momentum after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 -- until literature in the 21st century finds itself confronted with a new authoritarian system looming on the horizon.
 
The lecture outlines the characteristics of the literary eras of modernism, socialist realism, postmodernism, and new sincerity; it also discusses underground literature, camp literature, emigration literature, and pop culture. Reference is made to individual literary works, issues, trends, and stylistic forms. Special attention is paid to the tension between affirmation and rejection of political realities, which determines Russian literature (not only) in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Flipped classroom -- short video lectures are used as preparatory materials. Students read literary texts in self-study and work on assignments; attendance times are exclusively for plenary discussions and follow-up questions about the assignments.

Written examination

A bibliography is supplied at the start of the semester.

None.