| Unit name | Small is Beautiful?: National Identity in Czech and Slovak Writing Since 1918 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODLM2056 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Chitnis |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
none |
| Co-requisites |
none |
| School/department | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences |
Defining and preserving national identity has been a persistent preoccupation of the Czechs and Slovaks. At different times, the 'small nation' has been viewed positively, as an example to the bigger nations, and negatively, as weak and inferior. In this unit (which may be studied in translation), these perceptions of smallness will be traced with a broader discussion of the representation of Czech and Slovak national identity in prose, drama and non-fiction since 1918, in the social, political and cultural context of the period. Other themes discussed will include nationalism, xenophobia, xenophilia and self-loathing, identity and historym,identity and notions of national culture, intellectualism as an alternative to narional identity and identyity and language. Writers studied may include Masaryk, Hasek, Capek, vancura, Hrabal, Kundera, Havel, Timrava, Kukucin, Vilikovsky and Pistanek. The reading list can be tailored to suit the specific interests and linguistic skills of the group.
