Russian 221 - Russian-Ukrainian Literary Relations

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has prompted a critical reassessment of the historical and current relationship between the two nations. Russia and Ukraine have existed in relationship to one another since the very foundations of each one's national identity. Both tracing their origins to the period of Kyivan Rus, the two nations have had a fraught relationship throughout history, and many of these ideological battles have played out in the realm of literature and culture. This course examines key works from the Russian and Ukrainian literary and cultural traditions — including works that can be said to belong to both — in concert with each other. We will read such authors as Alexander Pushkin, Taras Shevchenko, Nikolai Gogol, Lesia Ukrainka, and Mikhail Bulgakov. We will also consider contemporary works created since 2014 and since 2022, including texts from Galina Rymbu, Elena Fanailova, Friedrich Chernyshov, and Volodymyr Rafeyenko. Our secondary guideposts will be theories of post-coloniality, nationalism, hybridity, and linguistic subjectivity. Throughout, we will remain engaged with current events in Russia's war on Ukraine, with an eye for how a grounding in the past two centuries of literature and culture can help us to understand what is happening today. 

This class will also take advantage of the Mead Art Museum's current exhibition on Ukrainian visual art. No prior knowledge of Russian or Ukrainian literature, culture, or history is expected or required. All readings are in English translation. 

Fall 2024. Visiting Assistant Professor Donohoe.

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Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: emphasis on written work, readings, independent research, oral presentations, visual analysis.