Literature vs Politics: Dystopia, Sci-Fi & Satire in the 1920s-1930s
This course is devoted to the study of politically charged Russian literature of the early 20th century. We will examine Zamyatin’s anti-utopia “Мы,” a parody of the Soviet Union that called forth a review by Orwell. Students will get acquainted with a fantastical, grotesque story of diabolical miracles in a Soviet setting by Mikhael Bulgakov, ironic narrative discourse in the short stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko, absurdism in the prose of D. Kharms, and tragedy and parody in the prose of Andrey Platonov. We will consider how these satirical political discourses serve as a means of exploring social life and its tendencies and processes. Counts as a course in literature.