Demons, Mad(wo)men, Rebels, Fools: Russian Literature Through the Eyes of Non-conformist

Catalog description

In this course we will examine a variety of Russian literary portrayals of non-conformism and will look at the “Russian anti-hero:ine” as literary figure, social critic, religious seeker, and revolutionary. We will meet holy fools, anarchists, political revolutionaries, Gulag prisoners, drunkards, murderers, punk poet:esses, vampires, and demon:esses, and will analyze how their passions, desires, and torments can create tension with the society at large. Is otherness madness? What is the connection between resistance and insanity? What is a madhouse – a prison or a hospital? Is it a reflection of the “normal” world? With the help of the canonical exemplars of 19th and 20th century Russian literature as well as lesser known texts in the form of fairytales, skazs, and short stories, we will engage in student-centered class discussions of the assigned readings, and will attempt to make sense of what does it mean to speak truth to power no matter the consequences.