Comparative Literature 791S - S-Russia in America

The seminar will explore the cultural/artistic contribution of the Russian emigration to contemporary American (and by extension, to modern Western, primarily European) culture from the early twentieth century to our own days. Although the greatest names (Nabokov, Brodsky, Solzhenitsyn, Stravinsky, Balanchine, Kandinsky, Chagall, and others) will be highlighted, an effort will be made to discover many lesser known Russian artists who lived in the West and made significant contributions in various areas (such as music, dance, design). We will also look at the impact of modern Russian culture (emigre or not) on the arts in the West (in fiction, in the theater, in cinema, in dance, etc.). We will discuss problems of national identity, migration / emigration, exile, cultural dislocation / hybridizati on, and Russian responses and solutions to them. Additional specific topics and themes to be discussed will largely be determined by student interest. Of interest to students in Comparative Literature, English, American Studies, cultural studies, art, dance, cinema, music, anthropology, social studies, history. No knowledge of Russian is required, all reading can be done in English. Open to advanced undergraduates with the instructor's permission.