Visual code in russian literature 19-20 centuries: from classics to modernism - ZIP

Remote learning

The modern cultural situation is characterized by a "visual turn" – the change of the verbal paradigm to the visual (visual studies).

In this situation of special demand in modern culture of the visual image and taking into account the development of digital technologies in modern humanities (digital humanities), the intermediality, in our opinion, can be productive in the study of Russian literature (saturated with visual images and synthesis of arts), since it is not only actualizes it in the modern cultural situation, but also more deeply reveals its semantic potential.

This course is offered within the University of Warsaw Integrated Development Programme, co-financed from the European Social Fund under the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development 2014-2020, path 3.5.

The purpose of this author's course is to form (using intermediality methods) a systematic understanding of the visual code of Russian literature in its movement from 19th century romanticism to modernism of the 20th century, in its highest artistic achievements, which arise in dialogue with its own historical tradition and with European culture; developing students' skills of independent analysis and understanding of a literary text in a historical and cultural context (painting, cinema, history, philosophy, religion).

In our understanding, the visual code in a literary text is 1) explicit and hidden ecphrasis, its visual sources and tradition; 2) the cultural picture (model) of the world, which is reflected and fixed in the visual code, including the aesthetic, historical, social, national, linguistic and other perception of reality.

The object of study is the works of iconic Russian writers (Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Lermontov, Blok, Gumilev, Akhmatova, Mandelstam, Pasternak, Akhmadullina, Tarkovsky, Brodsky, Sedakova), which reflects the painting of Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Rublev, Surikov, Vasnetsov.

Small but significant texts (poems, fragments of prose, fragments of articles, letters, etc.) were selected for study, which require "slow reading" and deep immersion in them.

The course is of an interdisciplinary, historical and cultural nature, considering literary texts on the border of philosophy, history, art history, linguistics.

In lectures, PowerPoint presentations, audio and video materials are used.

Practical classes are held in the form of seminars, colloquia, reports and presentations.

Exam is in the form of an essay on the topics studied.

1. Lecture 1 (2 hours):

"Beauty will save the world...": the Raphael's code in Russian literature of the 19th century. (Zhukovsky, V. Odoevsky, L. Tolstoy and others). Literary, philosophical and religious origins of the Raphael cult in Russian romanticism. Functions of Raphael's ekphrasis in the novels of Fyodor Dostoevsky.

2. Practical lesson 1 (2 hours):

"The genius of pure beauty": picturesque sources of the Raphael's code in the poems of Pushkin, Fet, A. Tolstoy, the ratio of verbal and visual images.

3. Lecture 2 (2 hours):

The Raphael's code in Russian Literature of the 20th century. Reception of the romantic perception of Raphael in the modernist texts of Vasily Rozanov, Anastasia Tsvetaeva, etc.

4. Practical lesson 2 (2 hours):

"Raphael Day": picturesque sources of the Raphael's code in a poem by Bella Akhmadullina, the ratio of verbal and visual images.

5. Lecture 3 (2 hours):

The Titian's and Lorrain's codes in the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky. "The Denarius of Caesar" by Titian and "The Grand Inquisitor" by Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky's "Lorraine paradise".

6. Practical lesson 3 (2 hours):

"Saint Sebastian" by Arseny Tarkovsky and Rainer Maria Rilke: picturesque sources of the Titian's code, the ratio of verbal and visual images.

7. Lecture 4 (2 hours):

The Rembrandt's code in Russian literature of the 19th and 20th centuries: an ekphrasis of Rembrandt's painting in the poetry of Mikhail Lermontov, Osip Mandelstam, in the poetry of Olga Sedakova.

8. Practical lesson 4 (2 hours):

"The Meeting" by Joseph Brodsky: picturesque sources of the Rembrant's code, the ratio of verbal and visual images.

9. Lecture 5 (2 hours):

The aesthetic discovery of Russian icons at the beginning of the 20th century. Rublev's code in Russian literature of the 20th century (Nikolay Gumilev, Arseny Tarkovsky, Andrey Tarkovsky).

10. Practical lesson 5 (2 hours):

Anna Kamenskaya's "Prayer to Andrei Rublev – the Holy Icon-Maker": Picturesque Sources of the Rublev's code, intermediality context, the ratio of verbal and visual images. Features of the Polish reception of Rublev's icon painting.

11. Lecture 6 (2 hours):

"Bowing down to the ground with Morozova" (the fate of the poet and Russian history): an ekphrasis of paintings by Viktor Vasnetsov and Vasily Surikov in the poetry of Alexander Blok and Anna Akhmatova.

12. Practical lesson 6 (2 hours):

Picturesque sources of the Surikov's code, the ratio of verbal and visual images in the poems of Arseny Tarkovsky and Anastasia Tsvetaeva.

13. Lecture 7 (2 hours):

The Christmas code in Russian poetry of the 19th and 20th centuries: an ecphrasis of the Nativity of Christ in the poetry of Nikolai Gumilyov and Joseph Brodsky.

14. Practical lesson 7 (2 hours):

Picturesque sources of the Christmas code in the poems of Boris Pasternak and Leopold Staff, the ratio of verbal and visual images. Russian and Polish perception of Christmas.

15. Lecture 8 (2 hours):

The Reims code in Russian poetry of the 20th century: Osip Mandelstam, Maximilian Voloshin and Olga Sedakova. Arseny Tarkovsky and Olga Sedakova: the poetics of modernist ekphrasis.

Readings will provided by the instructor.

As regards specialty learning outcomes, after the course:

1) one has profound and structured knowledge comprising methods, theories, terminology in relation to the literature and language in the context of other liberal studies (K2_W02; reference to P7S_WG The range and depth);

2) is able to gain knowledge and develop research skills on his/her own, to undertake activities aimed at developing academic and professional competence as a literary critic and a critic of other arts (K2_U01; reference to P7S_UW exploiting knowledge / problems resolved and tasks performed);

3) can carry out a critical analysis and interpretation of different types of cultural works, implement different approaches, has regard to new achievements of liberal arts, can introduce and justify his/her own position in different ways (K2_U05; reference to P7S_UW exploiting knowledge / problems resolved and tasks performed);

4) is ready to participate actively and consciously in international scientific, linguistic, artist and cultural exchange (K2_K01, reference to P7S_KO);

5) is ready for the active involvement in the social and cultural life, employing the knowledge of the relations between different fields of art; to recognize values contained in cultural diversity delivered by literature and art. (K2_K05, reference to P7S_KO).

Credit mark is based on the attendance, active participation in the class, homework and translation of selected passages of texts.

The final mark comprises the following elements:

Active and substantive participation in the class (50%).

Performing the task (essay) - 50%

Grading system:

99 – 100% - 5 (excellent)

93 - 98% - 5 (very good)

87 - 92% - 4,5 (fairly good)

77 - 86% - 4 (good)

71 - 76% - 3,5 (satisfactory plus)

60 - 70% - 3 (satisfactory)