History of Contemporary Lithuanian Literature 3020-BA3HL2
The aim of the course is to familiarize students with the history of modern Lithuanian literature by discussing the basic issues of contemporary Lithuanian literature, such as the influence of regaining independence on literary work, Lithuanian writers and the slogans of struggle for social justice and the rights of the Lithuanian nation, modernist trends, psychological trend, symbolism (V. Mykolaitis-Putinas, B. Sruoga), Impressionism, neoromantism (S. Nėris, A. Miškinis, J. Aistis, B. Brazdžionis), epic traditions (J. Tumas-Vaižgantas, V. Krėvė, A. Vienuolis), avant-garde (K. Binkis, J. Žlabys-Žengė), modernization of realistic narrative (J. Savickis, I. Šeinius), literary attitudes towards the Soviet occupation, literature and labor camp, the work of partisans (B. Sruoga, D. Grinkevičiūtė, B. Krivickas, L. Baliukevičius-Dzūkas), literary life and the most outstanding literary works in exile (A. Mackus, H. Nagys, A. Nyka-Niliūnas, A. Škėma, M. Katiliškis), the situation of Lithuanian literature and its changes in the Soviet period, attempts to revive the poetic language (J. Marcinkevičius, J. Vaičiūnaite, V. Bložė, M. Martinaitis, S. Geda, T. Venclova), development of narrative forms (I. Meras) and versions of the sociocultural Soviet space in prose (J. Aputis, R. Granauskas, B. Radzevičius), literature and the independence movement in the early 90s, attempts of a postmodernist novel.
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Mode
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student:
KNOWLEDGE
- lists and defines basic phenomena, categories and currents in the history of contemporary Lithuanian literature;
- knows the literary and historical terminology connected with the process of Lithuanian literature development;
- knows the selected writers of contemporary Lithuanian literature and their most representative works
SKILLS
- read, interpret and analyze literary texts by means of appropriate methods, taking into account the historical and cultural context;
- has the ability to draw conclusions, discuss, formulate judgments and arguments about the works of modern Lithuanian literature;
- writes a work about modern Lithuanian literature,
in a correct way using secondary literature.
SOCIAL COMPETENCE
- integrates knowledge about Lithuanian literature with previously acquired knowledge of the history of European literature and culture;
- sees a close connection between the efficient and flexible use of knowledge in the field of literary and cultural history and the communication skills required by the culturally diverse labor market;
- understands the need to actively participate in gaining humanistic knowledge
Assessment criteria
Checking of activity and current preparation for classes, written assessment paper, final exam (oral).
Students are allowed up to 2 absences in a semester, each subsequent one should be credited in a way agreed with the lecturer.
During the course, students may use SI tools e.g. to collect materials, compile research status and create bibliographies. The use of SI tools for interpretative purposes, for the creation of a written statement or for the elaboration of text extracts is excluded.
Bibliography
1-2. A political and cultural panorama of Lithuania 1918-1940.
3. Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas and his cultural anthropology
– J. Tumas-Vaižgantas, Dėdės ir dėdienės (excerpt).
4. The structure of the rural community in the prose of Vincas Krėvė
– V. Krėvė, Bedievis (excerpt).
5. The individual and the community in the prose of Antanas Vienuolis - the social and psychological aspect
– A. Vienuolis, Paskenduolė (excerpt).
6. First attempts to modernise prose: impressionist and avant-garde poetics (Ignas Šeinius and Jurgis Savickis).
– J. Savickis, Kova, Fleita.
– I. Šeinius, Kuprelis (excerpt).
7. "Further from Maironis". The first wave of modern poetry - symbolist lyricism (Balys Sruoga, Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas - selection of poems).
8. First wave of the avant-garde - "Keturi vėjai" (Kazys Binkis)
– K. Binkis, J. Žlabys-Žengė - selected poems
9. Directions of drama development in the interwar period - Balys Sruoga, Vincas Krėvė, Kazys Binkis
– K. Binkis, Generalinė repeticija.
10. Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas and his novel "Altorių šešėly"
– V. Mykolaitis-Putinas, W cieniu ołtarzy.
11. SSocio-cultural contexts of the fourth decade: the cultural agendas of the neo-Romantics and the "Third Front" („Trečias frontas“)
12-13. Confessional lyric poetry by Jonas Aistis, Antanas Miškinis, Salomėja Nėris, Bernardas Brazdžionis - a selection of poems.
14. Rationale for the emergence of émigré literature and the most important generations of poets - žemininkai and bežemiai) anthology circle
– V. Mačernis, K. Bradūnas, A. Nyka-Niliūnas, H. Nagys, L. Sutema, A. Mackus – selected poems.
15. Developments in émigré prose
– A. Škėma, Balta drobulė (excerpts)
16. Literature and the Soviet Occupation.
– E. Mieželaitis, Człowiek (selected).
17. The response of literature to the occupation and the Second World War: The history of the work as an example of the socio-cultural situation in the post-war period ("Baltaragio malūnas" by Kazys Boruta)
– K. Boruta, Młyn Bałtaragisa, czyli Co się ongiś działo
w Paudruwiskiej Krainie.
18-19. Partisan, exile, lag and gulag literature: issues of documentary literature in the context of mid-twentieth-century catastrophes.
– B. Sruoga, Las bogów.
– D. Grinkevičiūtė, Litwini nad Morzem Łaptiewów.
– L. Baliukevičius, Dziennik partyzanta „Dzūkasa“.
– E. Baliutytė, Formy samoświadomości w litewskiej literaturze dokumentu osobistego, [w:] Zranieni przez czas. Współczesna literatura litewska, opr. i wstęp D. Mitaitė, J. Sprindytė, przekład I. Korybut-Daszkiewicz, J. Tabor, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo IBL PAN, 2011, s. 134-151.
20. A period of 'thaw' and stabilisation: a poetic programme for the return of the individual to culture (Justinas Marcinkevičius, Janina Degutytė – selected poems).
21. Modernisation of poetry (Marcelijus Martinaitis, Sigitas Geda, Vytautas P. Bložė – selected poems).
22. The paradigm of modern urban culture (Judita Vaičiūnaitė, Tomas Venclova – selected poems).
23-24. Directions for the modernisation of prose(Juozas Aputis, Bronius Radzevičius, Icchokas Meras, Bitė Vilimaitė, Romualdas Granauskas)
– R. Granauskas, Ofiara z byka.
– I. Meras, Gra o życie.
– D. Striogaitė, Proza, której czas nie pokona, [w:] Zranieni przez czas. Współczesna literatura litewska, opr. i wstęp D. Mitaitė, J. Sprindytė, przekład I. Korybut-Daszkiewicz, J. Tabor, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo IBL PAN, 2011, s. 217-232.
25. Peaceful rebels (Antanas A. Jonynas, G. Patackas, Kornelijus Platelis, Nijolė Miliauskaitė, Donaldas Kajokas – selected poems).
26. Ironic versions of attitudes in the Soviet era and the period of its critical valuation in prose (Saulius Šaltenis, Juozas Erlickas, Jurgis Kunčinas, Ričardas Gavelis – selection).
27. Debuts of the last decade of the 20th century: provocations against tradition (Sigitas Parulskis, Aidas Marčėnas, Jurga Ivanauskaitė – selection).
Additional information
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