Nineteenth-century literature in the context of biographies of prominent writers 3222-30LUKB2C-NW

The class will discuss selected issues relevant to the history of Ukrainian literature of the 19th century in the context of the biographies of selected writers. The literature of Romanticism, Realism and Modernism will be discussed through the prism of the life and work of Taras Shevchenko, Panteleimon Kulisha, Ivan Franko and others.
Student workload
30 hours in the classroom - 1 ECTS
45 hours preparation for classes - 1.5 ECTS
15 hours preparation for the credit - 0.5 ECTS

Term 2026Z:

The course offers an in-depth analysis of selected issues critical to understanding the evolution of the 19th-century Ukrainian literary process, with a particular focus on the methodology of the biographical turn. The central research focus will be placed on the dialectical relationship between autonomous writing practices and the historically conditioned, often turbulent and dramatic lives of the authors of the era.
The creative output, ideological discourses, and socio-political attitudes of foundational figures of Ukrainian culture – such as Taras Shevchenko, Ivan Franko, and Lesya Ukrainka – will be subjected to critical redefinition. This analysis will be conducted through the prism of the oppressive mechanisms of tsarist and Austro-Hungarian censorship, the formation of modern national identity, and the dynamic reception and adaptation of Western European aesthetic and literary trends (Romanticism, Realism, Modernism). The course demonstrates how the biographical experience of these writers was transformed into an aesthetic act of culture-shaping resistance.

Course coordinators

Term 2026Z:

Katarzyna Jakubowska-Krawczyk

Term 2025Z:

Oksana Pukhonska

Type of course

General:

obligatory courses

Term 2026Z:

elective courses

Mode

Classroom

Prerequisites (description)

Before starting the didactic cycle, the student should have knowledge of Ukrainian history and ancient literature.

Learning outcomes

Student will gain advanced knowledge and understanding of the history and contexts of Ukrainian literature K1_W07
Student is able to search, critically analyse and evaluate, select and use information concerning Ukrainian literature K1_U03
Student is able to plan and organise individual and team work K1_U12
Students are able to critically evaluate their knowledge and perceived contents K1_K01

Assessment criteria

The requirements for passing the course and admission to the final assessment are: systematic preparation of the assigned material for each class – continuous, formative assessment (50%), and conducting and presenting in writing an individual research project (50%). The course ends with a written exam graded according to the following percentage thresholds: 60%–68% - 3 (satisfactory), 69%–77% - 3+ (satisfactory plus), 78%–86% - 4 (good), 87%–93% - 4+ (good plus), 94%–97% - 5 (very good), 98%–100% - 5! (very good with an exclamation mark). Evaluation criteria: achievement of the assumed learning outcomes covering all significant aspects – 5.0 (very good); achievement of the assumed learning outcomes covering all significant aspects with a small number of errors or inaccuracies – 4.5 (good plus); achievement of the assumed learning outcomes omitting certain (less significant) aspects – 4.0 (good); achievement of the assumed learning outcomes omitting certain significant aspects and with significant inaccuracies – 3.5 (satisfactory plus); achievement of the assumed learning outcomes omitting significant aspects or with serious inaccuracies – 3.0 (satisfactory); failure to achieve the assumed learning outcomes – 2.0 (unsatisfactory). The student is entitled to 3 unexecused absences; each subsequent absence requires the submission of an excuse. Classes from which the student was absent can be made up for during the lecturer's office hours. Exceeding excused and unexcused absences by 50% of classes may be grounds for failing the course.

Bibliography

Шевченко Т., Повне зібрання творів : у 12 т, Kyiv 2001.
Куліш П., Щоденник [v:] Kyiv 1993.
Бондар Ю., Жанрова гетерогенність щоденникового тексту П. Куліша [v:] Вісн. Луган. нац. ун-ту ім. Т. Шевченка. Філол. Науки, 22 (2013), s. 76–82
Бондар Ю., Пантелеймон Куліш як майстер мемуарної прози [v:] Література в контексті культури, 24 (2014), c. 19–29
Рубчак Б., Живописаний Шевченко ("Журнал" як текст) [v:] Світи Тараса Шевченка : зб. ст. до 175-річчя з дня народження поета Нью-Йорк 1991, С. 65–90.
Jędrzejewicz J. Noce ukraińskie albo rodowód geniusza: opowieść o Szewczence, Warszawa 1972.
J. Hrycak, Prorok we własnym kraju. Iwan Franko i jego Ukraina,Warszawa 2011.
D. Czyżewskij, Istorija ukraińskoji literatury, Ternopil 1995.
Istorija ukrainśkoji literatury XIX st. u 3 kn. Za red. M. T. Jacenka, Kyiv 1993-95.
G. Grabowycz, Narysy do istorii ukraińskoji literatury, Kyiv 1998.
S. Kozak, Ukraińscy spiskowcy I mesjaniści. Bractwo Cyryla I Metodego, Warszawa 1990.
W. Mokry, “Ruska Trójca”. Karta z dziejów życia literackiegi Ukraińców w Galicji w pierwszej połowie XIX w., Kraków 1997.