Description
This course centers on the intersection of Russian narrative literature and Orthodox Christian spirituality. Beginning with Byzantine missionaries, medieval hagiography, and The Way of a Pilgrim, the course will focus on works by 19th and 20th c. authors like Leskov, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Vodolazkin. Exploring the interface between literature and monastic piety, religious philosophy/ethics, the Slavophile movement, and Western modernity, attention will also be given to the influence of themes from patristic theology on Russian literary style and criticism. Students will gain not only a comprehension of Russian cultural history and exposure to some of the world's greatest novelists, but also appreciation of the role literature has had - and still has today - in living the Orthodox faith.