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A Sense of Place in European Literature

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Anna Akhmatova´s bench in front of the Fountain House, St. Petersburg

Semester & Location:

Fall 2018 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:

Literature Core Course - 3 credits
Core Course Study Tours:

St. Petersburg, Russia
Major Discipline:

Literature
Faculty Member:

Mette Jungersen
Program Coordinator:

Sanne Rasmussen - sra@dis.dk 
Time & Place:

Mondays and Thursdays, 08.30-09.50

Classroom: S12-05 (The Firestation) 

Course Description

In this course we will explore and identity the interrelation between place and text. We discover comparative perspectives on European literature through in-depth analysis and close readings of texts written by modern and classical European writers. Our geographic focus is primarily Denmark, Greenland, the Baltic region, and Russia. 

The European Humanities core course includes a total of 18 classes, a core course week with a short study tour to the island of Fanø, and a six day long study tour to St. Petersburg, Russia.

Course Format 

The course will be a mixture of class discussions, short lectures, and meetings with contemporary writers.

Core Course Week: Copenhagen and Short Study Tour to the Island of Fanø 

Starting in Copenhagen, we focus on the literary voices of the city. We then travel on a three-day study tour to the island of Fanø in the North Sea. We retreat from the city to read poetry of Danish author Jeppe Brixvold, and explore the role of place in his writing.

Six days Long Study Tour to St. Petersburg, Russia 

During the trip to Russia, we explore St. Petersburg as the birthplace of modern Russian literature. We read and discuss selected St. Petersburg texts on site and explore how the city influences our reading and vice versa. We walk in the footsteps of Gogol and Dostoevsky and their protagonists, explore the Petersburg of Akhmatova and Brodsky, and meet contemporary Russian authors. We visit major sights such as the Nevsky Prospect, the Winter Palace, and the Russian Museum. Before leaving for Russia, we will make sure to learn the Russian alphabet.  

Instructor 

Mette Jungersen  Cand. mag. (Russian Language and Literature, University of Copenhagen).

Email: mju@dis.dk. Phone: +45 2517 4916. 

Course Objectives

  • Examine the interrelation between place and text in literature  
  • Learn the methodology of literary geography  
  • Identify significant themes and narration strategies in the works read
  • Improve your skills in textual analysis

Course Requirements 

This course is discussion‐based and requires your active participation and engagement. You are also required to complete the following to pass the course: 

  • A short paper (Paper I) of 5‐6 pages to be handed in on Friday, February 16 by midnight
  • Written in‐class exam on Monday, March 19
  • A term paper (Paper II) of 8‐10 pages to be submitted on Thursday, May 10 by midnight

More information on assignments will be given in class, and individual consultations will be available. 

Grade Components   

Assignment

Percent
Paper I

25%
Paper II

40%
Written exam

20%
Participation

15%

Required Readings 

Theoretical texts 

Berman, Marshal. “Petersburg: The Modernism of Underdevelopment.” All That Is Solid Melts Into Air,  Penguin Books, 1988, pp. 173‐212. 

Buckler, Julie A. “Introduction”. Mapping St. Petersburg: Imperial Text and Cityshape, Princeton University  Press, 2005, pp. 1‐14 + 73 ‐78 (Canvas). 

Casey, Edward S. “How to get from Space to Place in a fairly short stretch of time” (Canvas).  Cresswell, Tim. “Introduction: Defining Place.”  Place – an introduction. 2nd ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2015,  pp. 1‐22 (Canvas). 

Lotman, Yuri M. “The Symbolism of St. Petersburg”. Universe of the Mind: A Semiotic Theory of Culture, I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, 1990, pp.191‐202 (Canvas). 

Massey, Doreen. “A Global Sense of Place”. Space, Place and Gender, U of Minnesota Press, 1994 (Canvas). 

Moretti, Franco. Atlas of the European Novel, 1800‐1900, Verso, 1998. 

Literature 

Akhmatova, Anna. Selected Poems (Handout). 

Brodsky, Joseph. “A Guide to a Renamed City” and “In a Room and a Half.” Less than One, Farrar, Straus and  Giroux, 1986, pp. 69‐94 and 447‐512. 

Alexievich, Svetlana. Excerpts from The Unwomanly Face of War. Penguin, 2017 (Handout)

Brixvold, Jeppe. Østerland (Handout). 

Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Norton, 1989. 

Gogol, Nikolai. “Nevsky Prospect” and “The Nose.” Plays and Petersburg Tales, Oxford UP, 1995, pp. 3‐61. 

Leine, Kim. The Prophets of Eternal Fjord. Liveright, 2015. 

Oksanen, Sofi. Purge. Atlantic, 2011. 

Pushkin, Alexander. “The Bronze Horseman” (Handout). 

Secondary Literature 

A selection of relevant secondary readings will be available under ‘Recommended Readings’ on Canvas. 

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due