COML 213 - Saints and Devils in Russian Literature

Institution:

University of Pennsylvania

Subject:

Description:

Arts & Letters Sector. All Classes. Verkholantsev. Despite the title, Russian 213 is not simply about saints and devils in Russian culture. Our primary goal is to trace cultural continuity and understand the dependence of the 19th and 20th century Russian literature and art on cultural paradigms and categories of pre-modern Russia. In Russia, where culture and conscience had been nourished by Eastern Orthodoxy and Indo-European paganism, the 19th-century search for spirituality was invariably connected with Orthodoxy and religious pursuits. The interest in Russian history kindled a fascination with medieval Russian literary and artistic productions. Writers and artists turned for inspiration to medieval themes and genres. In "Saints and Devils," we will examine the literary images of the holy and the demonic in works from various periods and we will learn about the historic trends that have filled Russia's national character with religious and supernatural spirit. All readings and films are in English and include such authors as Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Leskov, Bulgakov, and Nabokov, as well as films by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.upenn.edu

Phone Number:

(215) 898-5000

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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