| Unit name | Introduction to Czech Literature |
|---|---|
| Unit code | RUSS10025 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Chitnis |
| Open unit status | Open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
Available only for Single Honours and Joint Honours Russian students taking RUSS10015 |
| School/department | Department of Russian |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit aims to give students a broad understanding of how Czech literature developed in the twentieth century, in the context both of dramatic political change, including the emergence of an independent Czechoslovakia, German occupation, Stalinism and efforts to reform Communism, and European cultural history. We focus on key works by the best-known twentieth-century Czech writers, studied in English translation, normally including the first part of Jaroslav Ha?ek's hugely popular comic novel The Good Soldier Svejk, Karel Capek's anti-utopian satire R.U.R. (which gave the world the word 'robot') and shorter works of fiction or drama by Bohumil Hrabal and Milan Kundera. Classes combine tutor- and student-led presentations with extensive group discussion. The unit is assessed by one 2000-word essay, comparing an aspect of two works studied.
