19th and 20th Century Russian Short Stories
LIT6-5a-Thu2
Olivia Kennison
This course will take place virtually on Zoom. Participation in this course requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.
September 12 - October 17
(No Class October 3)
Russian literature has always been known for its gigantic 19th century novels, but many of the same authors of those doorstoppers were also masters of the short story. These stories, heartbreaking or hilarious, will demonstrate in miniature the brilliance in word and technique of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Gogol, and more. This course will cover essential short stories from the 19th century and then venture into modern and experimental stories from the 20th century. These stories from the 20th century will familiarize students with Soviet or émigré writers who are often lesser known but are no less skilled than their 19th century forebears, including Nabokov, Babel, and Platonov. We will be close reading these stories and discussing their cultural and historical origins, as well as the colorful authors behind them. All stories will be read in translation.
More facilitated discussion than lecture.
All materials will be provided on a class website or by email links.
1-2 hours per week.
Olivia is PhD Candidate in Slavic Literatures and MA Candidate in Classics at Brown University. Her love affair with Russian literature began 11 years ago as an undergraduate visiting St. Petersburg for the first time, and only intensified during her two years living in Russia and teaching English. She is now writing a dissertation on Russian reception of Greek tragedy during the early 20th century and is an assistant editor at the literary journal NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction.