Russ,East European,Eurasian St 126 - MASTERPIECES OF RUSSIAN LIT I

Why is Russian literature so timeless and powerful? What can we learn from the Russian "cursed questions" surrounding the nature of life, death, love, creativity, spirit? We explore these questions through an introduction to major texts of the 19th-century Russian literary tradition, including works by Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Chekhov, examined in their social and historical contexts. Topics include the search for both national and personal identity, the role of women in 19th-century Russian society, the Slavophile/Westernizer debate, the relationship between literature and the growth of Russian Socialism, and how the great Russian authors can help us decipher the meaning of our own lives. Conducted in English.  No previous knowledge of Russian is required.