Spring 2005

E 322 • Pushkin

Course Description

“The devil hit on the bright idea of having me born in Russia with a mind and talent”—
Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837)
“Our family picture is taken with Pushkin in the background”—popular Russian song

Discover why the Russians call Pushkin their greatest writer. Why Dostoevsky’s last statement was his “Pushkin speech.” Why the Russian symbolist Alexander Blok paid tribute to Pushkin’s “secret freedom” and twentieth-century tragic muse Anna Akhmatova wondered, “How did he know it all already?” Why Vladimir Nabokov devoted years of his life to translating and annotating Pushkin’s novel in verse, Eugene Onegin. Find out why the Pushkin monument in Moscow is still people’s number one meeting spot. As an extra bonus, learn about Pushkin’s special relationship to English literature: Byron, Shakespeare and Scott. We will see that Amadeus works off the same material as Pushkin’s brilliant “Mozart and Salieri.” Opera and film versions of Pushkin works will be included. All readings will be in English.

Grading Policy

Three essays (6 pages each) 60%
Short-answer exams 40%
Extra credit for active class participation

Attendance policy: three unexcused absences are permitted. Excused absences shall be for illness or family emergencies only. With the fourth unexcused absence the final semester grade will fall by one-half grade.

Texts

Biography and legend
Works by Pushkin: lyrics, Gypsies, The Bronze Horseman, Boris Godunov, The Little Tragedies, Eugene Onegin, The Captain’s Daughter, Tales of Belkin, “The Queen of Spades”, The Journey to Arzrum

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