Speciality: English literature (Curriculum)

Speciality in Russian: Литература народов стран зарубежья (английская литература)

Duration: 2 years, 4 semesters

Major courses:

Учебные дисциплины, читаемые на английском языке:

The History of English Literature

This course is one of the broadest in the country, giving you the chance to study English literature from its origins in Anglo-Saxon England to the literature of the XXth and early XXIst centuries. Although the various genres in which writers were working are taken into consideration, we will study English literature chronologically: Middle Age, Renaissance, Restoration, Enlightenment, Romanticism, Victorian era, etc. Attention will be focused on representative authors of each period and we will consider the structural and stylistic devices of significant texts, while doing so in the larger context of a discussion of the thematic concerns of the writers and their relevance to us today, as well as the specific historical events and cultural influences to which these writers responded. The perception of English literature (and particular authors) in different cultures is also involved into this course.

The History of World Literature

The course starts with the short outline of Ancient Literature and covers all the periods of the Europian Literature until the second part of the XXth centuries when the literatures of other world regions (such as Latin America, Africa) are included. This course allows a considerable degree of choices about the authors, texts and topics one would like to concentrate on. Pertinent literary, social, cultural, political, and philosophical movements and trends of the particular periods will be examined. The selected works by major figures in world literature are studied in English or any other available translations.

Germanic Roman Mythology

The course is an introduction to the mythology of the Greeks and Romans along with a close insight into heroic poetry of Viking Age. This course contains a survey of the myths and religious practices of Scandinavia in the pre-Viking and Viking periods based on textual sources (eddic and skaldic poetry, sagas) and material evidence (art). Celtic mythology is also a part of this course. Topics include the creation myth, the structure of the world, eschatology, stories of the main gods and heroes, cults and rituals, and the influence of Christianity. The history and culture of the Ancient and Germanic people will provide background for the further reading in World and English literature.

Literary Criticism

A study of theories and methods of literary and cultural analysis selected from ancient times to the present. Focus includes the written practice of criticism in response to a wide variety of texts. 

Literary Analysis and Interpretation

 Introduces major theoretical approaches to literature and fundamental techniques of literary analysis. Develops  critical skills for analytical writing about literature in comparative, cross-cultural contexts.

The History of English Culture

The course covers the most significant aspects of English culture from ancient times to the beginning of the 21st century, including the visual arts, music, philosophy, and film, but with special emphasis on providing a coherent overview of literary periods and movements. Readings in the course will include a short history of England and a brief survey of literary history as well as select, usually non-literary, texts providing significant additional insight into English speaking culture.

Neo-Victorian Novel in Contemporary British Fiction

The course aims to perform a close insight into the theory and practice of Neo-Victorian novel which is one of the most featured trends in contemporary British postmodern fiction.

Theoretical part of the course reveals general points of the history and the genre model of Neo-Victorian novel according to works by Dana Schiller, Ann Heilmann, Mark Llewellyn, Kate Mitchell, Andrea Kirchknopf and other academics. Practical part of the course introduces works by such prominent Neo-Victorians as Peter Ackroyd, Antonia Byatt, Jeanette Winterson, Sarah Waters, Diana Satterfield, and Lynn Shepherd with special attention to the concept of Victorian past (and history in general) and to postmodern literary devices being used to deconstruct Victorian artistic code.