Ideology_19thCentury

Fall, 2005

Devotees of Russian culture have long noted the important role played by “ideas” in nineteenth-century Russian literature. Most recently, for example, playwright Tom Stoppard has devoted a trilogy of plays to this topic in London and on Broadway.

Ideas and, in the twentieth century, even ideology are part and parcel of most of the best literature written in Russia during these two centuries. Little did Ivan Turgenev know, however, with the publication of his famous novel, Fathers and Sons (1859), that a series of “idea” novels would immediately appear in response to his hero Bazarov. But Nikolai Chernyshevsky intentionally wrote and published his What Is To Be Done (1864) precisely by way of an ideological response to the nihilist hero of Turgenev’s novel. And, then, two years later, Fyodor Dostoevsky publishes his famous Notes from Underground as an existential and cultural challenge to the rational egoism of Chernyshevsky’s heroes and heroines. Dostoevsky would continue to produce novels opposing the views of both Turgenev as well as Chernyshevsky for the remainder of his life.

Our course, “Ideology and the 19th-Century Russian Novel,” will examine the historical, philosophical, and cultural background of Russia at mid-century to derive an understanding of the existential and political dialogue in which these writers engaged themselves. We will begin with a reading and analysis of Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons, followed by Chernyshevsky’s What Is To Be Done, and conclude with Dostoevsky’s novella Notes from Underground and his novel, Demons.

Fall, 2005

Sept. 1st:-- General introduction to course mechanics/goals and introductory lec-ture: “The Intersection between Literature and History in 19th-Century Russia: The ‘Idea’ of a Russian National Culture.”

Sept. 8th:--Introductory lecture: “Russian Romanticism and the ‘Generations of the 1830’s and 1840’s.” Read: Ivan Turgenev, Fathers and Sons, chapters 1-

Sept. 15th:-- Introductory lecture: “Ivan Turgenev’s Place in 19th-Century Rus-sian Literature. Read: Ivan Turgenev, Fathers and Sons, chapters

Sept. 22nd:-- Introductory lecture: “The Role of German and French Philosophical Thought in 19th-Century Russian Literature.” Conclude reading and discussion of Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons; begin reading of Nikolai Chernyshevsky’s What Is To Be Done?: Read i, ii, preface, and Chapter 1.

Oct. 6th:--Introductory lecture: “Russia at mid-century: the Effects of the Crimean War on Social and Intellectual Life.” Read: Nikolai Chernyshevsky, What Is To Be Done, chapter 2-3.

Oct. 13th:--Fall Break--No Class.

Oct. 20th:-- Introductory lecture: “Nikolai Chernyshevsky and the Generation of the 1860’s.” Read: Nikolai Chernyshevsky, What Is To Be Done, chapter 2-3. [Mid-term essay is due.]

Oct. 27th:-- Introductory lecture: “The Social and Political Views of Fyodor Dostoevsky Before and After Exile.”   Read: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Notes from Underground, Part I.

Nov. 3rd:-- Introductory lecture: “The Role of the Periodical Press in Russia, 1860s-1870’s.”   Read: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Notes from Underground, Part II.

Nov. 10th:-- Introductory lecture: “Dostoevsky’s Views on ‘Pochvenichestvo’.”   Read: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Demons, Part One through chapter 4.

Nov. 17th:-- Introductory lecture: “Social and Political Discord in Russia During the 1860’s.”   Read: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Demons, Part One chapter 4 through Part Two, chapter 5.

Nov. 24th:-- Introductory lecture: “Social and Political Discord in Russia During the 1870’s.”   Read: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Demons, Part Two, chapter 6 through Part Three, chapter 2.

Dec. 1st:-- Introductory lecture: “The Role of Orthodoxy in Dostoevsky’s Religious Views.”   Read: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Demons, Part Three, chapter 3 to end of novel.

Dec. 8th:-- Summary discussion of the role of nihilism in Russian literature at mid-nineteenth century.

GRADING:

Class Participation	30%
Mid-term Essay	35%
Final Essay	35%

“Ideology and the 19th-Century Russian Novel”

SYLLABUS FOR WORLD LIT. 118