RUSS 373 - Twentieth-Century Russian Literature

Analytical survey of Russian literary prose from proto- to high modernism to postmodernism, examining how it evolved through the twentieth century amidst historical upheavals - revolutions, displacements, persecutions, wars. How did Russian literature continue to renew itself under these pressures? One answer lies in the transformations of the modern self as constructed by various writers. Some created autonomous selves within imaginary worlds, while for others a self’s value remained grounded in social reality. We will explore these contrasting perspectives by investigating how Russian fiction either drew on or distanced itself from non-fiction. The course traces the development of twentieth-century Russian literature through a range of genres: novels, short stories, prose poems, memoirs, autobiographies, essays, anecdotes - using a variety of critical approaches. Readings include the prose of Chekhov, Sologub, Guro, Tsvetaeva, Babel, Kharms, L. Ginzburg, Shalamov, Nabokov, Trifonov, Petrushevskaya, Sorokin and Alexievich. All readings and discussions are in English. An additional weekly session will be scheduled for students taking the course for Russian credit.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group I - Arts, Literature, & Philosophy, Distribution Group I - non-English Language
Prerequisite(s): For Russian credit: RUSS 212 or equivalent.
Instructional Method: Lecture-conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Cross-listing(s): LIT 373
Not offered: 2026-27
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Understand how arguments can be made, visions presented, or feelings or ideas conveyed through language or other modes of expression (symbols, movement, images, sounds, etc.).
Analyze and interpret texts, whether literary or philosophical or works of the visual or performing arts.
Evaluate arguments made in or about texts (whether literary or philosophical or works of the visual or performing arts).
Use a language other than English to understand and convey meaning in spoken, written, or mediated contexts appropriate to the course level.
Analyze how meaning is constructed and negotiated in a language other than English by examining grammatical structures, discourse conventions, or communicative strategies in spoken and written contexts.