Space and Place in Modern Theory and Fiction

Graduate / Professional

This course explores “the spatial turn” in literary studies, combining theoretical texts from multiple disciplines with readings in modern Russian, Soviet, and post-Soviet literature and culture. We focus on the geometric, geographic, social, and epistemic spaces of literary texts. How do humans organize—and are organized by—space? How do literary texts conceptualize and sometimes transgress their own spatial order? How does spatial discourse situate knowledge, culture, and society? Borders, thresholds, and in-between spaces occupy us, along with transformations and animations of space. We consider meanings accrued in Russian culture by the human body, wilderness, sacred space, the street, the city, and imperial periphery, and by such paradigmatic Russian loci as the gentry estate, forest, and communal apartment. Theoretical readings span philosophy, literary and cultural theory, anthropology, sociology, history, cognitive psychology, phenomenology, gender studies, postcolonial studies, and geography. Literary readings are in Russian; limited accommodations for students without reading knowledge of Russian may be possible (contact the instructor for permission). T 1:30pm-3:25pm