This course is a practical study of different discourses of literary Russian. Paying attention to lexical, grammatical, stylistic and narrative characteristics of a few select and representative texts, we will analyze and imitate 19th-century narrative techniques (e.g., Gogol’s skaz, Dostoevsky’s polyphony, Chekhov’s free indirect discourse), oral and folklore patterns, the languages of Imperial and Soviet power, discourses of Stalinist and post-soviet subjectivity and rhetorical strategies of contemporary Russian scholarly prose. The class is conducted in Russian.  Required of all beginning (first- and second-year) graduate students in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, the course might be also of use for graduate students in history and social sciences.

Requirements: weekly readings and participation in discussions; written homework assignments; take-home final exam.

Texts: a course reader.

Prerequisites: graduate standing or consent of instructor; advanced knowledge of Russian, both reading knowledge and oral fluency.