WINTER 2014 - PSU Class: POETS AND POLITICS RUS 421 CRN 43323 Professor Nila Friedberg Osip Mandelstam has once stated that “more people die for poetry [in Russia] than anywhere else”. This course explores Russian poets’ relationship with political authorities and the poets’ reception or role in political events, such as the 1917 revolution. What made poets support or reject the revolution, and how did the reasons differ across poets? What was Stalin’s relationship with poets and poetry? What creates better poetry – a system that oppresses poets or a system that neglects them? Is all verse political by definition? Are political speeches and slogans – poetry? We will explore a variety of texts and media – memoirs about poets, letters, historical documents, interviews and documentaries. A significant part of the course will be Russian conversation practice – talking about poets, their biographies and their political choices. We will also learn to read poetry closely, paying attention to the poem’s form, word choice and the hidden meaning between the lines. We will discuss the political implications of poems which may seem politically “neutral”. From the cultural and linguistic standpoint, we will attempt to acquire an important skill shared by most educated Russians, namely, the ability to “read between the lines” and see political nuances in verse that may not seem political to a foreigner. We will also familiarize ourselves with poems that form part of the cultural memory of all educated Russians and explore the ways in which quotes from such poems are used or misused in journalism, blogs or everyday speech. Register at - pdx.edu/registration/
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 23:07:39 +0000
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