RUSS3371: THE POET AND THE STATE

• Russian Language 2B (RUSS2012) OR Russian Translation and Oral 2A (RUSS2191) OR an equivalent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

• Modern Languages, Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' programmes: Russian Language 4 (RUSS3031). Others: see Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

• None.

• To familiarise final-year students with the development of Russian poetry over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by examining selected works by major Russian poets and exploring different critical approaches to poetry. Particular attention will be paid to issues relating to censorship and state control over poetry produced under both Tsarism and Soviet rule.

• Amongst nineteenth-century poets to be featured are Pushkin, Lermontov, Tiutchev and Fet. The module will then examine twentieth-century movements such as Symbolism, Acmeism and Futurism and focus on the work of individual poets invluding Blok, Akhmatova, Mandel'shtam, Maiakovskii, Tsvetaeva and Pasternak.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• The module will give an overview of the development of Russian poetry, focusing particularly on the poetry of the major poets and poetic movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Subject-specific Skills:

• The student should achieve detailed familiarity with a selection of lyrical and narrative poetry and develop skills in poetry analysis and commentary.

Key Skills:

• Students will develop skills in poetry analysis and commentary and detailed familiarity with a selection of lyric and narrative poetry, as well as a sense of the historical and political context in which it was produced.

• The module will be taught and assessed in English but with close reference to Russian original texts.
• Lectures will deliver key information about the module.
• A fortnightly seminar with smaller groups will allow for individual presentations and active discussions.

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