B2601 - LETTERATURA DEI PAESI DI LINGUA RUSSA (SECONDA LINGUA) I

Learning outcomes

The student knows the basic elements of Russian Culture and Civilization, he/she is able to identify them in specific literary texts and is able to work out autonomously further cultural and literary knowledge and competences of a higher level applying them to other, specific literary texts.

Course contents

"Rasskaz and Povest': Short Forms in Russian Literature"

The course aims to examine the short story form within Russian literature from the late 18th century to the present day. Is it possible to construct an "alternative" canon of Russian literature that disregards the "great novels"? How do the narrative and linguistic structures of 19th-century long novels, such as those by Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, change when they write short stories? To which European literary analogue does the form of povest', a term untranslatable into other languages, bear the closest resemblance? What are the peculiarities of contemporary Russian children's stories? What contributions do oral and folk storytelling make? Drawing primarily on formalist studies and, as needed, employing the most suitable critical methodology for analysis, the course will deeply explore selected texts through close reading, taking into account Italian translations.

Readings/Bibliography

Edgar Allan Poe, Review of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Twice-Told Tales (1842-1847)

C.A. Moser, The Russian Short Story. A Critical History

L. Parts, The Russian Twentieth-Century Short Story: a Critical Companion

L. Michael O’Toole, Structure, style and interpretation in the Russian short story

D. Ugresič, La volpe

Adalgisa Mingati, “Forma breve e narrazione a cornice: Le ‘serate’ o ‘veglie’ nella prosa russa (1770-1840)”

Danilo Cavaion, Marialuisa Ferrazzi, Olga A. Krivosceieva Motta, “Per una storia della povest’ russa: secoli XVII e XVIII”

B. Ejchenbaum, studio su Un eroe del nostro tempo

V. Šklovskij, La struttura della novella e del romanzo

 

Testi letterari:

Karamzin, The poor Liza

Puškin, Belkin's Tales

Lermontov, A Hero of Our Time

Gogol’, Christmas Eve

The Diary of a Madman

Turgenev, Memoirs of a hunter

Dostoevskij, White Nights

Tolstoj, Kreutzer Sonata

Three Deaths

Cholstomer

After the Ball

Čechov, Ward n. 6

Goosebumps

Sleepy

Babel’, Red Cavalry

Nabokov, A guide to Berlin

Gor’kij, 26 and 1

Bulgakov, Notes on cuff

Pil’njak, A story about how to write stories

Petruševskaja, Tales after tales

Desnickaja, Litvina, The Apartment

Teaching methods

Lectures and laboratory activities for the application of critical theories. To achieve the learning outcomes, frontal lessons, practical exercises, class discussions, and readings in the original language are planned.

Assessment methods

The assessment test is oral and will be aimed at evaluating the student's knowledge of the texts presented and discussed in class, as well as his/her capacity for critical reading of a literary text.

For the evaluation the ECTS Grading Scale will be used:

A [≈ 30/30 – 30/30 e lode]: outstanding performance with only minor errors;

B [≈ 27/30 – 29/30]: above the average standard but with some errors;

C [≈ 24/30 – 26/30]: generally sound work with a number of notable errors;

D [≈ 21/30 – 23/30]: fair but with significant shortcomings;

E [≈ 18/30 – 20/30]: performance meets the minimum criteria;

F [≈ 15/30 – 17/30]: Fail – some more work required before the credit can be awarded;

FX [≈ 0/30 – 14/30]: Fail – considerable further work is required.

Teaching tools

Moodle

Office hours

See the website of Martina Morabito