Comparative Aspects of the Study of Literature and Art

2017/2018

Учебный год

ENG

Обучение ведется на английском языке

4

Кредиты

Кто читает:

Департамент филологии

Статус:

Курс по выбору

Когда читается:

2-й курс, 4 модуль

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The proposed course offers a snapshot of Russian cultural history in the age of modernism, from the dawns of Symbolism at the turn of the twentieth century to post-Stalinist reflections in the 1960s, made through the lenses of most notable musical events of that epoch.

Learning Objectives

• The goal of the course is to consider a particular segment in the history of Russian music, from the late Tchaikovsky and Scriabin to Schnittke and last works by Shostakovich, in a context of artistic and cultural trends of that time

Expected Learning Outcomes

• A student understands the dynamic of Russian modernism through several decades of its history (1890s-1930s)
• A student articulately describes the aesthetic, philosophical, and social context around central works of Russian modernist music.
• A student conceptualizes a comprehensive view of modernism in general as well as successive trends that signified its historical development.

Course Contents

• Fin de siècle: Classical and Romantic Heritage
  Western Art Music and Literature: A Parallel Chronology. Pushkin, Tchaikovsky’s Classical Roots, and Late Romanticism (The Queen of Spades)/.Mussorgsky towards the 20th Century: Boris Godunov and Pictures at an Exhibition (Adaptation and Ekphrasis).
• The Rise and Fall of Modernism: 1910s to 1930s
  Adorno’s Problem with Stravinsky: Russianness, Neoclassicism, and (Lack of) Innovation. Andrei Bely’s Symphonies and Petersburg: Symbolism and Musical Forms. Shostakovich’s First and Second Symphonies and Literary Movements of the 1920s. From Leskov to “Muddle instead of Music”: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District and the Rage against “Formalism”.
• World War II to Thaw and Beyond: P. S.
  Prokofiev and Eisenstein: Alexander Nevsky. Late Shostakovich and Poetry: Two Vocal Symphonies. Weinberg and Schnittke: Film Music and Late Soviet Narratives. Modernist Spirit and Its Postmodern Afterlife.

Assessment Elements

• Final paper (Exam)
  The exam (final paper) is conducted in the form of a research essay (1500-2000 words) assigned for homework in the last week of the course and submitted to the course instructor by email on or before the announced deadline.
• Presentation
  In each module, each student will make a 5-10 minute presentation on the topic discussed in the seminar. Students sign up for presentations in advance, at the beginning of each module, and prepare them at home. At seminars, after the opening remarks by the course instructor, the floor is given to the presenter. Each presentation is followed with a whole-class discussion, in which students are expected to participate actively by asking questions to the presenter and share their critical thinking on the subject. Attendance and participation are assessed by the instructor based on each student’s individual contribution to seminar discussions. Two presentations are assessed separately. Presentations 1 is done individually; Presentation 2 is in pairs (the same mark to both presenters).
• Class Participation
  At lectures and seminars, students are expected to respond actively to the professor’s guiding questions and asking questions of their own, as well as contribute to class discussions.

Interim Assessment

• Interim assessment (4 module)
  0.1 * Class Participation + 0.5 * Final paper (Exam) + 0.4 * Presentation

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• ELPHICK, D. (2014). Weinberg, Shostakovich and the influence of Anxiety. Musical Times, 155(1929), 49. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=f5h&AN=99982110
• Karlinsky, S. (2013). Freedom from Violence and Lies : Essays on Russian Poetry and Music. Web server without geographic relation, Web server without geographic relation (org): Academic Studies Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.CBA2C48F

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Jaffé, D. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Russian Music. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=765995
• Kaganovsky, L., & Salazkina, M. (2014). Sound, Speech, Music in Soviet and Post-Soviet Cinema. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=709402
• Levitz, T. (2013). Stravinsky and His World. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=587041