Georgia Southern University — Spring 2007
Soviet 1920s poster with factory woman ENGL 3537 - B (12692)

Special Topics: Literature & Revolution

Henry Fonda in John Ford's 'Grapes of Wrath' (1940)
On this page: Access online reading materials, check your computer's compliance with course requirements, see a course description, review the grading policy, and log into the Inquisition quizzing/testing/chatting system.

Instructor: Dr. David W. Robinson
CRN: 12692
Class-related e-mail: dwrob@georgiasouthern.edu
Weekly required chat:


Required books to order  [ Return to top ]

Literary Readings: Films: Theoretical Readings:

Computer skills and compliance   [ Return to top ]

To take this online course, you must be comfortable using a Web browser, e-mail, and online chat.

I will not provide technical support for these basic Internet tools. I provide instructions about accessing and using the online tools I make available (a chatroom, an online discussion forum, the Inquisition system, multimedia aids to the course, and so on). I am especially ignorant of most Macintosh-related lore, so you are completely on your own there.

You need a computer equipped with the following:

You can use the following links to download and install the browsing and audio software if you don't already have it.

Firefox Web Browser (all platforms)
WinAmp (Windows)
XMMS (Linux)
QuickTime (Macintosh, Windows)

Disclaimer

The technical and setup information provided on this Web site is for student convenience only and does not constitute a promise of computer technical support.

Students are solely responsible for establishing working electronic communications in the context of this class and for gaining access to and properly configuring computer hardware and software that meets course needs. The instructor accepts no responsibility for problems related to Internet Service Providers, and will not accept such problems as an excuse for late assignments or missed chats. (Students are advised to submit assignments well before the deadlines in case problems do arise.)

Students are responsible for detecting and remedying failed e-mail communications, disappearing file attachments, problems in accessing or using the online discussion forum and online quizzes, and difficulties in obtaining, installing, or using third-party software. The instructor accepts no responsibility for damage to computer hardware or loss of computer programs or data that may result from attempts to participate in this online class, including the installation of third-party software.

Students recognize that the class reading schedule is subject to change, as are the details of specific assignments, and that the only reliable course information is that displayed online in either the syllabus or the online discussion forum. Students will not be notified of such changes by personal e-mail, but are instead responsible for checking the Web site regularly.

Continued enrollment in this class constitutes acceptance of the terms of this disclaimer.

Course Description   [ Return to top ]

Twentieth Century world literature was heavily influnced by radical political ideologies, with revolution in the political sphere often motivating parallel efforts in the sphere of art. While the reactionary bent of some Modernist literature is well-known, the literary embodiments of radical leftist ideology are comparatively neglected, or when noted, dismissed as hack work. While fore- grounding the ideological import of the most important canonical writer of the left, Bertolt Brecht, this course will also reclaim representatives of the neglected traditions of Socialist Realism and its literary cousins. Complementing the readings will be films spanning the whole history of film to date and touching on many of the same themes as in the literary readings. With supplementary theoretical selections and appropriate historical background, the course will explore the space that political utopianism shares with literary fabulation and public performance. As noted, we will focus on a particular leftist literary/revolutionary thread, the most famous one -- Socialist Realism. To encourage a more general application of the insights we gain from our readings, I will have each student prepare a presentation and short paper on some other revolutionary or utopian movement (socialist or otherwise) and its literary manifestations. The American Civil rights movement would be an obvious choice. Another possibility would be fascism in some version. In every case, I am interested in what political imagination does with literature, and what literary imagination does with politics, when both exist side-by-side in a writer's mind.

Procedures and provisos:

1. Do not miss chats. Class discussion for credit takes place during the chats. This is an important opportunity for real-time interaction with me and with each other, so it is extremely important that you be "present" for these.

My software tracks your participation in the chats, and I use these statistics to assign you a chat grade. All chats will be held . We will discuss passages of my choice from the assigned reading. Log into the chat channel early to make sure you don't have last-minute problems that interfere with your participation.

Check your chat participation or see transcripts of chats you missed by visiting http://raq.oneeyedman.net:8080/.

2. Check the forum for new material frequently. To aid you in your reading, I may make study questions and/or notes available through the forum during the week prior to each chat. You are responsible for keeping track of this through the forum.

3. Participate in the forum weekly or more. I will post a topic or question several days prior to the chat, and you must respond no later than noon the day of the chat, after which time the topic will by locked and accessible only for reading, not writing. I reserve the right to assign additional optional or required work to supplement the forum participation grade. Forum posts are due Monday 3 pm, that is, prior to the week's chat.

4. Quizes, as assigned, will be taken and and graded through the Inquisition program. Quizzes are also due Monday 3 pm.

5. Exams will be administered through the Inquisition system.

6. Turn things in early if you plan to be away. Late assignments will not be accepted.

7. Make backups of your quizzes and exams, and keep copies of e-mails to me. It is your responsibility to make sure that your materials get to me. A good approach is to write your answers in a word processing program (saving them as you go) and then to cut-and-paste them into Inquisition.

8. Read and follow the directions in Inquisition for safe and secure test-taking. If you follow these directions you will avoid network timeouts, security breaches, and other such unpleasantness.

9. Visit my virtual office IRC channel #robotron (which you can see listed in the chat log-on menu) is available most of the time for private conversations with me. Treat it as a virtual office and feel free to drop by.

10. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY. Although you are welcome to form study groups, students may not share answers with one another when responding to the online quizzes or exams. Sharing of answers on Inquisition is readily detectable. Students also must not copy materials from the Internet or other sources and use them in test or quiz answers without giving proper attribution. Such conduct constitutes plagiarism and cheating and will be referred to University authorities for disciplinary action.

Grading policy   [ Return to top ]

Participation will be graded based on the chats (if applicable) and online forum. I reserve the right to assign additional quizzes or writing exercises that will also contribute to the participation grade.

The course grade will be calculated as follows, based on a large number of short papers, a midterm and final, and on participation in class discussions and in the on-line class discussion. I will not keep roll, but it should be obvious that poor attendance will impede your performance and success in the class. There will be no long research paper, though some of the short paper assigments may require documentation, which should conform to MLA style.

40 % -- Papers
20 % -- Final
15 % -- Midterm 
25 % -- Participation (via on-line chat and forum)
== 100 %

Schedule of Assignments   [ Return to top ]

This schedule is subject to change. Links marked
with a red diamond are required additional background reading,
due at the same time as the readings of the primary texts.


Week 1 — 1/8 and 1/10 Introduction
Assigned reading
Who wrote it?
Karl Marx
B. in Trier, Germany on 5 May 1818 – D. 14 March 1883 in London
When was it written?
1848
In what language was it written?
German
Where was it written?
Germany
Discussion/Homework

Introductory remarks on Monday. On Wednesday, we will see the first part of Eisenstein's famous film Battleship Potemkin.

The Manifesto is available online here.

Read only these sections:

I: Bourgeois and Proletarians

II: Proletarians and Communists

IV: Position of the Communists in Relation to the Various Existing Opposition Parties

Forum assignment: The Communist Manifesto is a complex, perhaps bewildering mix of politics, economics, history, and rabble-rousing. Its most important aspect for our purposes would be its instances of utopian thinking. What kind of utopia is Marx interested in? How would it differ from the current world of capitalism? How does he expect this utopia to be achieved?

Extras
Karl Marx

Week 2 — 1/15 and 1/17 Marx
Assigned reading
Readings by Lenin and Trotsky in Solomon.
Who wrote them?
Valdimir Ilyich Lenin (B. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov on 22 April 1870 – D. 21 January 1924), leader of the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Communist Party, and Leon Trotsky (B. Lev Davidovich Bronstein on 7 November 1879 – D. 21 August 149, assassinated in Mexico), leader of the Red Army during the Russian Civil War.
When were they written?
1915-1930
In what language were they written?
Russian
Where was it written?
In Russia, later the Soviet Union
Discussion/Homework

No class Monday (MLK holiday.) We will finish watching Battleship Potemkin on Wednesday.

DUE WEDNESDAY: Paper #1 assignment: Select a passage or passages from the Marx we have read (either the Manifesto or the excerpts in Solomon), and write a brief essay (2-3 pp.) discussing what implications it might have for the creation, consumption, and judging of art (any art). Submit the paper on Inquisition. (I will have the paper feature set up in time, really!)

Forum assignment: Submit a question about this week's theoretical readings (Marx, Lenin, Trotsky).

Extras
Vladimir Lenin -- bronze statue in Seattle, Washington, USA. (Bigger.)

Leon Trotsky

Week 3 — 1/22 and 1/24 Mayakovsky
Assigned reading

Selected poems by Vladimir Mayakovsky:

[1914-1915] "The Cloud In Trousers" (p. 61-109)

[1916] "To His Beloved Self, The Author Dedicates These Lines" (pp. 133-135)

[1921] "Order No. 2 To The Army Of The Arts" (pp. 145-149)

[1925] "Brooklyn Bridge" (pp. 173-181)

[1925] "Back Home" (pp. 183-189)

[1930] "At The Top Of My Voice" (pp. 221-235)

[1930] "Past One O'clock..." (p. 237)

Who wrote it?
Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky
B. 19 July 1893 – D. 19 April 1930
When was it written?
1915-1930
In what language was it written?
Russian
Where was it written?
Russia, later the Soviet Union
Discussion/Homework

Forum assignment: Select one of Mayakovsky's poems and talk about the speaking voice he uses in it. Why does he take such a stance, adopt such a voice? Give a couple of examples. What's revolutionary about this material -- anything?



Mayakovsky reads for a radio broadcast.
Extras
Week 4 — 1/29 and 1/31 Gladkov
Assigned reading
Cement
Who wrote it?
Fyodor Vasilyevich Gladkov
B. 21 June 1883 – D. 20 December 1958
When was it written?
1925
In what language was it written?
Russian
Where was it written?
The Soviet Union
Discussion/Homework

Background reading: In Solomon, the introduction to Zhdanovism (235-241) and the Gorki selection (242-244).

DUE WEDNESDAY: Paper #2 assignment: Write in 2-3 pages a discussion of how the movie "Battleship Potemkin" conveys its revolutionary viewpoint, in particular, the ideas of class struggle and class consciousness. You can discuss this in terms either of cinemtic technique or narrative structure, ideally both.

Forum assignment: One implication of Marx's theory of man is that "human nature" is really mostly a matter of nurture, not nature, and is therefore highly malleable. In later attempts to put Marxist ideas into literary form, the theme of the "New Socialist Man/Woman" is prominent. What is new about Gladkov's characters? What does he see as the major ways that "human nature" has to change if a just and equitable society (i.e., socialism) is to emerge? How are these changes dramatized in the novel?

Second forum assignment: Our anthology of critical and philosophical views gives pretty short shrift to Stalin and his lacky Zhdanov, and with every justification in the world. Nonetheless, I think we need a dose of the man himself, so have a look at this, and then don't go anywhere, because I will give you a topic to post about at the end of this message.

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The Soviet regime intended not only to change the Russian economy from a emerging capitalist system to socialism, but it also sought to create a uniquely socialist art, different from the art of the capitalist West, considered decadent, with a mission appropriate to the building of communism. The following is from a 1934 document outlining Soviet policy toward the arts written by Andrey Zhdanov, the Communist Party's spokesman to the Congress of Soviet Writers.

". . . There is not and never has been a literature making its basic subject-matter the life of the working class and the peasantry and their struggle for socialism. There does not exist in any country in the world a literature to defend and protect the equality of rights of the working people of all nations and the equality of rights of women. There is not, nor can there be I n any bourgeois country, a literature to wage consistent war on all obscurantism, mysticism, hierarchic religious attitudes and threats of hell-fire, as our literature does.

"Only Soviet literature could become and has in fact become such an advanced, thought-imbued literature. It is one flesh and blood with our socialist construction. . . .

"What can the bourgeois writer write or think of, where can he find passion, if the worker in the capitalist countries is not sure of his tomorrow, does not know whether he will have work, if the peasant does not know whether he will be working on his bit of land or thrown on the scrap" heap by a capitalist crisis, if the working intellectual is out of work today and does not know whether he will have work tomorrow?

"What can the bourgeois author write about, what source of inspiration can there be for him, when the world, from one day to the next, may be plunged once more into the abyss of a new imperialist war?

"The present position of bourgeois literature is such that it is already incapable of producing great works. The decline and decay of bourgeois literature derive from the decline and decay of the capitalist system and are a feature and aspect characteristic of the present condition of bourgeois culture and literature. The days when bourgeois literature, reflecting the victories of the bourgeois system over feudalism, was in the heyday of capitalism capable of creating great works, have gone, never to return. Today a degeneration in subject matter, in talents, in authors and in heroes, is in progress. . . .

"A riot of mysticism, religious mania and pornography is characteristic of the decline and decay of bourgeois culture. The "celebrities" of that bourgeois literature which has sold its pen to capital are today thieves, detectives, prostitutes, pimps and gangsters. . . .

"The proletariat of the capitalist countries is already forging its army of writers and artists-revolutionary writers, the representatives of whom we are glad to be able to welcome here today at the first Soviet Writers' Congress. The number of revolutionary writers in the capitalist countries is still small but It is growing and will grow with every day's sharpening of growing strength of the world proletarian revolution.

"We are firmly convinced that the few dozen foreign comrades we have welcomed here constitute the kernel, the embryo, of a mighty army of proletarian writers to be created by the world proletarian revolution in foreign countries.

"Comrade Stalin has called our writers 'engineers of the human soul.' What does this mean? What obligations does such an appellation put upon you?

"It means, in the first place, that you must know life to be able to depict it truthfully in artistic creations, to depict it neither 'scholastically' nor lifelessly, nor simply as 'objective reality,' but rather as reality in its revolutionary development. The truthfulness and historical exactitude of the artistic image must be linked with the task of ideological transformation, of the education of the working people in the spirit of socialism. This method in fiction and literary criticism is what we call the method of socialist realism.

"Our Soviet literature is not afraid of being called tendentious, for in the epoch of class struggle there is not and cannot be 'apolitical' literature. And it seems to me that any and every Soviet writer may say to any dull-witted bourgeois, to any philistine or to any bourgeois writers who speak of the tendentiousness of our literature: 'Yes, our Soviet literature is tendentious and we are proud of it, for our tendentiousness is to free the working people-and the whole of mankind-from the yoke of capitalist slavery.'

"To be an engineer of the human soul is to stand four-square on real life. And this in turn means a break with oldstyle romanticism, with the romanticism which depicted a non-existent life and nonexistent heroes, drawing the reader away from the contradictions and shackles of life into an unrealizable and utopian world. Romanticism is not alien to our literature, a literature standing firmly on a materialistic basis, but ours is a romanticism of a new type, revolutionary romanticism.

"We say that socialist realism is the fundamental method of Soviet fiction and literary criticism, and this implies that revolutionary romanticism will appear as an integral part of any literary creation, since the whole life of our Party, of the working class and its struggle, is a fusion of the hardest, most matter-of-fact practical work, with the greatest heroism and the vastest perspectives. The strength of our Party has always lain in the fact that it has united and unites efficiency and practicality with broad vision, with an incessant forward striving and the struggle to build a communist society.

"Soviet literature must be able to portray our heroes and to see our tomorrow. This will not be utopian since our tomorrow is being prepared by planted and conscious work today."

--------------------------------------------------------------

All right -- now that you are properly fired with revolutionary-romanticist zeal, here is your 2-part post topic:

1. To what extent can you see the roots of Zhdanov's positions in Gladkov's novel? (A little? Not at all? Give an example or two.)

2. Can you recognize any echoes of Zhdanov's concerns and requirements in the present-day artistic conditions of the capitalist West? Another way of putting this: Where does literary/film/television/music/art censorship happen in our society, and why does it happen when it does? Give an example or two.

Extras
Fyodor Gladkov

Cover from a Soviet pulp edition of Cement. There's Gleb in the middle with his cloth "helmet." Polia must be the one with the curls, but the straight-haired woman at lower left doesn't look nearly fierce enough to be Dasha. The older man at left must be Engineer Kleist.

From the same edition, Gleb and Sergei capture Sergei's brother.


Andrei Zhdanov, Stalin's ideological mouthpiece on artistic matters. He is famously associated with the doctrine of Socialist Realism, which came to dominate literature and painting in the Societ bloc.


Is Your Washroom Breeding Bolsheviks? (Bigger.)

Week 5 — 2/5 and 2/7 Brecht 1
Assigned reading
The Measures Taken
Who wrote it?
Bertolt Brecht
B. 10 February 1898 – D. 14 August 1956
When was it written?
1930
In what language was it written?
German
Where was it written?
Berlin, Germany
Discussion/Homework

Background reading: In Solomon, Bertolt Brecht, "Epic Theater" (355-369).

Forum assignment: After reading The Measures Taken, try applying Brecht's remarks on Epic Theater to the play. How do plot, character, construction of scenes, etc., show the effects of Brecht's anti-Aristotelian intentions? Does the play seem like a good illustration of Brecht's principles as he describes them? Look at the bulleted list in Solomon and associate some of those items with a specific scene in the play. Try not to repeat each other -- first come first served.

Bert Brecht in the 1920s

Extras
Bertolt Brecht
Week 6 — 2/12 and 2/14 Brecht 2
Assigned reading
The Good Person of Szechuan
Who wrote it?
Bertolt Brecht
When was it written?
1940/1943
In what language was it written?
German
Where was it written?
Sweden, Finland, the United States
Discussion/Homework

Forum assignment: In this play we encounter some gods, but they aren't the most impressive gods that ever crossed a stage. What is going on? What do you think the gods represent? How do they fit into Brecht's theatrical practices and his Marxist world view?

Extras
Week 7 — 2/26 and 2/28 Grapes of Wrath
Assigned reading
Who wrote it?
blah
When was it written?
blah
In what language was it written?
blah
Where was it written?
blah
Discussion/Homework

blah blah

Forum assignment: Blah

Extras
Week 8 — 3/5 and 3/7 Trail of Stones
Assigned reading
Who wrote it?
blah
When was it written?
blah
In what language was it written?
blah
Where was it written?
blah
Discussion/Homework

blah blah

Forum assignment: Blah

Extras
Week 9 — 3/19 and 3/21 Bulgakov
Assigned reading
The Master and Margarita (novel)
Who wrote it?
Mikhail Afanasievich Bulgakov
B. 15 May 1891 – D. 10 March 1940
When was it written?
Between 1929 and 1939
In what language was it written?
Russian
Where was it written?
Moscow
Discussion/Homework

Forum assignment: To be announced.

Extras
Mikhail Bulgakov
Week 12 — 4/9 and 4/11 Wolf
Assigned reading
The Search for Christa T.
Who wrote it?
Christa Wolf
When was it written?
1968
In what language was it written?
German
Where was it written?
The German Democratic Republic
Discussion/Homework

Extra reading: Ernst Bloch selections in Solomon. There are several links at right to Bertolt Brecht / Kurt Weill songs that Bloch mentions in his essay on The Threepenney Opera.

Forum assignment: TBA

Extras
Week 13 — 4/16 and 4/18 Hein
Assigned reading
Who wrote it?
Christoph Hein
When was it written?
1982
In what language was it written?
German
Where was it written?
The German Democratic Republic
Discussion/Homework

blah blah

Forum assignment: Blah

Extras
Week 14 — 4/23 and 4/25 Mueller: Mauser
Assigned reading
The Horatian; Mauser (plays)
Who wrote them?
Heiner Müller
When were they written?
The Horatian: 1968/69. Mauser: 1970.
In what language were they written?
German
Where were they written?
The German Democratic Republic
Discussion/Homework

blah blah

Forum assignment: Blah

Extras
Week 15 — TBA Good Bye, Lenin!
Assigned reading
Who wrote it?
blah
When was it written?
blah
In what language was it written?
blah
Where was it written?
blah
Discussion/Homework

blah blah

Forum assignment: Blah

Extras
Week — Roundtable