Bulgakov’s /Master and Margarita/

This course will deal with a close reading of the famous “demonic” novel by Mikhail Bulgakov. We will discuss the unique structure and philosophy of the novel, as well as its political background and the work’s artistic genealogy (literary, musical, religious, and philosophical sources). Students in this class must read 30 pages of Bulgakov’s novel for each class session. Reading will also include selections from the New Testament (in modern Russian), fragments from Goethe’s Faust (in Russian translation) and Gogol, as well as excerpts from major critical works (no more than 30 pages per week). Class lectures will be supplemented by frequent slide, video, and musical presentations. We will have a special class session dedicated to a discussion with Russian actor Veniamin Smekhov, who will describe the production of the novel on the stage of the Taganka Theater, the production’s impact on Soviet culture of the time, and his interpretation of the character of Woland. Students will make two oral presentations and write two short papers.