Marxist Aesthetics in Russia

(4 Credits)

The goal of this course is to describe and discuss the development of Marxist thought on art in Russia before and after the October Revolution. It begins with Plekhanov's writings on Marcist aesthetics and follows its evolution through Russian avant-garde and Proletkult up to the theories of Socialist Realism in the 1930s. We will also be reading authors relevant to Russian Marxist art critique, including Lukacs, Brecht, and Adorno.