Medieval Rus′: Course Outline

University of Pittsburgh, Spring 2005 (05-2)

David J. Birnbaum (djbpitt+medieval@pitt.edu)
Nancy Condee (condee+@pitt.edu)

Location: http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~djb/medieval_literature/05-2/outline.html
Main Course Page: http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~djb/medieval_literature/05-2/

Introduction

Russian 2700 (Medieval Rus′) is a comprehensive new (2005) revision of a graduate course that was previously called Old Russian Literature. The goal of the course is to introduce students to early (primarily pre-Petrine) Russian culture, emphasizing not only on literature, but also such other cultural media as art and architecture. Selected films have been incorporated not as documentaries, but as illustrations of the interpretations of medieval Rus′ that became popular in Russia and the Soviet Union over the course of the twentieth century.

Materials

Primary Texts

Participants are responsible for the texts in Serge A. Zenkovsky’s Medieval Russia’s Epics, Chronicles, and Tales (New York: Dutton, 1974), but may do the readings either there or in any comparable anthology in the language of their choice. Specific selections from long texts (e.g., Primary Chronicle or the Life of Avvakum) may not correspond in all anthologies, and those who use other anthologies are nonetheless responsible for the excerpts selected by Zenkovsky. Note that editions of Zenkovsky prior to 1974 contain fewer texts than the 1974 edition.

Unless otherwise specified, primarily materials may be read in English or modern Russian. Works that must be read in the original will be identified; no prior experience in reading medieval East Slavic texts in the original is assumed or required.

Secondary texts

Literary History

Participants are required to read on their own a comprehensive general history of the literature of early Rus′ of their choice. Suggested literary histories include:

• Gudzii, N. K. Istoriia drevnei russkoi literatury. Izd. 7., ispr. i dop. Moscow: Prosveshchenie, 1966.
• Likhachev, D.S. (red). Istoriia russkoi literatury X–XVII vekov: uchebnoe posobie. Moscow: Prosveshchenie, 1980.
• Tschizewskij, Dmitrij. History of Russian literature from the eleventh century to the end of the Baroque. ’s-Gravenhage, Mouton, 1960.

For research on individual topics you should also consult the relevant entries in the multi-volume Slovar′ knizhnikov i knizhnosti drevnei Rusi (D.S. Likhachev, otv. red.), Leningrad: Nauka, 1987–.

Other Historical References

Participants should become familiar with Russian medieval history (political, cultural, etc.). Suggested sources are:

• Billington, James. The Icon and the Axe: An Interpretative History of Russian Culture. NY: Random House, 1970.
• Hamilton, George Heard. The Art and Architecture of Russia. 3rd ed. New Haven: Yale UP, 1983.
• MacKenzie, David and Michael W. Curran. A History of Russia, the Soviet Union, and Beyond. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1993.
• Martin, Janet. Medieval Russia, 980-1584. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.

Other Materials

Photocopies of secondary materials will be distributed as needed, and there will be a charge for photocopying.

Grading

Components (with percentage of grade):

• Daily class participation (20%).
• Oral presentations (20%): See http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~djb/medieval_literature/05-2/oral_guidelines.html.
• Research project (20%): See http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~djb/medieval_literature/05-2/paper_guidelines.html.
• Midterm examination (20%): Tuesday, 03-15
• Final examination (20%): Thursday, 04-28