Russian 3-404/5-404



Tolstoy in Translation



Instructor: Mr. Jahn

Office: 210 Nolte Center
Phone: 612-625-6557
Hours: 11:30-12:30 Tuesday and Thursday or by appointment

Class: Russ 3404/5404 Tolstoy in Translation

Spring Semester, 2008
348 Folwell Hall
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:45-2:00
This course provides a survey of the life and literary career of Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), one of the most celebrated writers of nineteenth-century Russia. Known both as a writer of fiction and as a religious and social thinker, Tolstoy was perhaps the best-known Russian of his time. This is usually a rather small class, normally less than twenty-five students. Class time is split between lectures on Tolstoy's life and work and discussions of the required readings. This year we will be reading Tolstoy's long novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, as well as a shorter work, The Death of Ivan Ilich. We will also read a couple of selections from Tolstoy's tract on aesthetics, What Is Art? This is a graduate-level course in its expectations, but advanced-standing undergraduate students are also most welcome to enroll. Experience has shown that undergraduates have been able to make a fully competitive showing in this course. Students in the class will be evaluated on the basis of their contribution to discussions and the quality of their papers (one substantial paper is required of students registered for Russ 5404) and written examinations (two are scheduled, a mid-term and a final).

Requirements:

All readings should be completed by the date indicated for the beginning of discussion about them.

Special Note:  While the readings for this course are all, of course, purest gold, War and Peace and Anna Karenina are both very long books.  It sometimes happens that students, even with the best of intentions, find themselves unable to complete the readings in a timely fashion.  If you find yourself in this unhappy position you may want to take a look at Literature Study Guides - SparkNotes (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/) or Literature - CliffsNotes (http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/Section/Literature.id-305321.html?&sort=TITLE&sortDirection=ASC).

Students registered for Russ 5404 must submit (by the last day of class) a 10-12 page research paper or interpretive essay on a subject mutually agreed to by student and instructor.  Students are best advised to obtain agreement to their proposed topic by the time of the mid-term examination, or very shortly thereafter.  The instructor invites you to submit a detailed outline or preliminary draft of your paper for review prior to handing in your final product.  The paper requirement is intended for graduate students only.  However,  undergraduate students who register for Russ 5404 should be aware that they too must submit the paper described above to complete the requirements of the course.

Supplementary

Information about Russian literature is available on the instructor's World Wide Web home page: http://www.umn.edu/lol-russ/hpgary

General information about Tolstoy as a writer and especially about his writings for the popular audience is available at http://www.umn.edu/lol-russ/PopLit

A list of works by Tolstoy available on-line in English translation is available at http://books.mirror.org/gb.tolstoy.html


Grades

for this class are computed as follows:

    1. Contribution to Class Discussion = 25%
    2. Mid-Term Exam = 30%
    3. Final Exam =45%
    1. Contribution to Class Discussion = 20%
    2. Mid-Term Exam = 20%
    3. Term Paper = 20%
    4. Final Exam = 40%


Calendar of Class Meetings



Week of Tuesday Expected Activities
January 22nd Introduction; Lecture on The Young Tolstoy: 1828-1870
January 29th Lecture on The Young Tolstoy: 1828-1870; Tolstoy and What is Art?
February 5th War and Peace, Parts I-III
February 12th War and Peace, Parts IV-VI
February 19th War and Peace, Parts VII-IX
February 26th War and Peace, Parts X-End
March 4th Lecture on The Life of  Tolstoy: 1871-1910
March 11th Lecture on The Life of  Tolstoy: 1871-1910;  Mid-Term Examination
March 18th Spring Break
March 25th Lecture on The Later Tolstoy: Works and Ideas
April 1st Lecture on The Later Tolstoy: Works and Ideas;  The Death of Ivan Ilich
April 8th The Death of Ivan Ilich
April 15th The Death of Ivan Ilich; Anna Karenina, Part I
April 22nd Anna Karenina, Parts II-III
April 29th Anna Karenina, Parts IV-V
May 6th Anna Karenina, Parts VI-End;  Russian 5-404 papers are due
May 16th Final Examination scheduled for Friday, May 16th, 8:00-10:00 am