This is a syllabus for roughly the first half of the course. I provide you with some basic information on each author and with a few questions to consider as we discuss. For specific assignments, refer to the "General Syllabus and Schedule of Assignments."

Sept. 1: Introductions. Explanation of course goals and policies. Overview of Russian literature and culture up to Pushkin. Creation of a Russian literary language and its importance to Pushkin and others. Key Eighteenth Century figures: Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky (1703-1769), Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov (1711-1765), Aleksandr Petrovich Sumarokov (1718-1777), Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin (1744-1792), and Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin (1766-1826).

Sept. 3: Pushkin, "Queen of Spades"

As you will soon discover, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin (1799-1837) is traditionally the most revered and most read Russian writer. Even today, most Russians you meet will be able to recite some verses from his poetry. His popularity, both among scholars and the general public, has never been translated into other countries. What does all of this suggest to you? Is the canon important to us today? What good are -isms anyway?

For a variety of reasons, we will concentrate on his prose works. As you are reading these first stories, think about the idea of a national literature. Pushkin helped to create the image of a writer who is also a leading political, cultural, and ideological figure.

What is the relationship between the story and the way it is told in "Queen of Spades"? Make a timeline for yourselves. Sketch out the ordering of each event in the story and then compare it to the way Pushkin tells his story. Pay attention to flashbacks and foreshadowings. Do you understand the concepts of fabula and siuzhet?

--Note the use of numbers in the story. Pushkin layers his text with numbers, sometimes with a rather humorous effect. Find the numbers in the text, then see if you can draw some conclusions about the objects they modify. What is some of the common symbolism behind numerology? What, for instance, comes in threes?

--Point of view. Who is telling the story? Pay particular attention to Hermann's meeting with the Countess (pp. 223-224). Think about where the narrator is standing when he is telling this story.

Sept. 8-10: In The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin, pay particular attention to the introductory passages. Who is telling the story? Why does Pushkin pay so much attention to the sources of his narrative? Can you relate the style, tone, and language of each story to the alleged narrator? As you are reading, ask yourself who these narrators are and why they describe what they describe.

Romanticism. Pushkin is often considered Russian's leading Romantic writer. What does this mean? Why is it important? In "The Shot," whom does Silvio remind you of? Think about ways we might connect this group of stories. Are there broader categories we could fit them in? Do any of them seem out of place?

--Literature and reality. Which of the stories here are realistic and why? What does "realistic" mean?

--Ordering. Can you figure out why Pushkin would intentionally place the five Belkin tales in their particular order?

Sept. 15-17: Pushkin, "The Captain's Daughter," "A History of Pugachev," and "Egyptian Nights"

--History and Literature. Both stories for this week involve Pushkin's retelling (and thereby, reinterpretation) of historical events. Make sure you have a basic grasp of these events. Now compare what you have learned about them with Pushkin's stories. What is Pushkin's sense of history? Why is it important to him? What conclusions might we draw about Pushkin as historian?

--What is Pushkin's attitude towards women? How does Cleopatra enter the story? Compare this image with previous women in Pushkin's stories.

--Dreams. Consider the various dreams and who dreams them in "Captain's Daughter." Can you make some general observations about these dreams. Remember our discussion of this when we reach Crime and Punishment.

Sept. 22-24: Lermontov, A Hero of Our Time

Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov (1814-1841) was perhaps Russia's greatest romantic. He is best remembered as a poet and among his numerous works are "On the Death of a Poet."

Carefully read Nabokov's (Who is this???) introduction. Recall it as you read through Lermontov's novel. Do you agree with Nabokov's assessment of the work?

--Where are the Caucasus? What groups of people live there? How do the Russian characters differ from others in this novel? How does Lermontov, a Russian, portray others?

--Consider the act of dueling. What have we learned about it?

--Exoticizing the other. Does Lermontov make the Circassians and their mostly Turkic dialects overly romantic? How does he describe other peoples? Do you note differences between the various narrative voices?

Sept. 29: Gogol, "The Diary of a Madman," "The Nose," and "The Overcoat," "How Ivan Ivanovich Quarrelled with Ivan Nikiforovich," and "Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt."

James M. Holquist, "The Devil in Mufti: The Marchenwelt in Gogol's Short Stories"

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (1809-1852) is in many ways, the most "modern" writer we will read. His stories are full of verbal pyrotechnics, designed to challenge basic notions of reading and writing. Questions to consider for discussion of these Gogol stories:

The question of evil, or more precisely, evil and irrational forces in these stories. Into which larger systems and/or structures does Gogol place his characters (e.g., sexuality, Christianity, etc...)?

Form: Can you define and provide instances of metaphorical and metonymical figures in these stories? Can you provide other examples of Gogol's verbal play?

Is "The Overcoat" a story of great social pathos? How do you interpret the character of Akaki Akakievich?

Think about sexuality as you read "The Nose" and "Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt." Who are these characters? What do they represent?