Nineteenth-century Russian writers were locked in a desperate struggle for freedom under an extraordinarily repressive regime. Through an intensive analysis of the great ideological novels at the center of Russia's historic social debates from the 1840s to the 1860s, we will unearth the roots of both Lenin’s revolution and Dostoevsky’s fervent anti-radicalism. The tension between literary realism and political exigency will be explored in the fictional and critical works of Chaadaev, Herzen, Belinsky, Turgenev, Chernyshevsky, Goncharov, Dobroliubov, Pisarev, and Dostoevsky. Isaiah Berlin’s famous essays on the Russian intelligentsia, as well as representative works from the nonliterary arts, including Tom Stoppard's epic play, The Coast of Utopia, will supplement our reading and discussion.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 30

Prerequisites: None.

Instructor: Hodge

Distribution Requirements: LL - Language and Literature

Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Every three years

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered

Notes: