ENGL 300 A: Reading Major Texts

                                                          AUTUMN 2022: ANNA KARENINA

                                        Professor Galya Diment

                                                            TA: Svetlana Ostroverkhova

                                                                TTh 12:30-2:20; RAITT 121

ONE OF THE GREATEST "ROMANCES" EVER WRITTEN, ANNA KARENINA IS JUDGED BY MANY TO BE AN UNPRECEDENTED MASTERPIECE OF NOT ONLY RUSSIAN BUT WORLD LITERATURE. WE WILL EXPLORE THE HISTORICAL TIMES DURING WHICH IT APPEARED AND READ TOLSTOY’S WIFE’S DIARY AND, AMONG OTHER CRITICISM, VLADIMIR NABOKOV'S DELIGHTFUL TAKE ON THE NOVEL. THE COURSE WILL ALSO EXAMINE THE NOVEL'S MORAL AND IDEOLOGICAL ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT FAMILY, MARRIAGE, RELATIONSHIP, WOMEN’S ROLE, AND HOW THESE REFLECTED THE AUTHOR'S (AND, HIS WIFE’S!) VIEWS AS WELL AS THE CULTURE AND SOCIETY AROUND HIM.

REQUIRED READINGS (ALL AT UBOOKSTORE):

LEO TOLSTOY, ANNA KARENINA (NORTON CRITICAL EDITION)

SOFIA TOLSTOY, DIARIES

JANE BURBANK et al., IMPERIAL RUSSIA: NEW HISTORIES FOR THE EMPIRE

VLADIMIR NABOKOV, LECTURES ON RUSSIAN LITERATURE    

DONNA TUSSING ORWIN, THE CAMBRIDGE COMPANION TO TOLSTOY

GRADE BASED ON:

CLASS PARTICIPATION (INCLUDING QUIZZES) 10%; TAKE-HOME MIDTERM 40%; TAKE-HOME FINAL 50%