20th-Century Russian Literature (211-2-1)

Topic

Doctor Zhivago in Cultural and Historical Context

Instructors

Nina Gurianova
847/491-2937
1880 Campus Dr. #3365
Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:00-2:00pm and by appointment

Meeting Info

University Hall 101: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

This course explores in detail the legendary novel Doctor Zhivago (1957), written by the Noble Laureate Boris Pasternak (1890-1960). This major literary work is discussed in the broad Russian and European cultural and historical context of the Cold War era, and we will follow and compare the paths of literary heroes and their real-life prototypes: Pasternak himself and his long-time companion Olga Ivinskaya. Doctor Zhivago was harshly criticized and censored in Soviet Union, then smuggled to the West with the help of the CIA to be preserved and published for the first time, finally becoming a world literary sensation and winning the Nobel Prize (1958). Through the tumultuous publication history of this manuscript, students can gain a foundational knowledge of the history of the Soviet Union, and an understanding of the changes in the literary climate throughout the history of Soviet Russia.

Class Attributes

Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area