Masterpieces of Polish literature

compulsory

Central European and Balkan Studies

1st cycle

Course aims:

- acquainting the students with the masterpieces of Polish literature connected with reference to the general context of historical and cultural change,

- improving of analytical and interpretative skills with a particular stress on historical specificity of texts, comparative approach and evaluation of literary works,

- practicing of usage of historical and aesthetic categories,

- seeking proficiency in using such categories as an author’s biography, literary era (with a stress put on Polish literary periodization), literary current, style, genre, aesthetic terms (irony, grotesque, tragedy, realism, symbolism, expressionism etc.),

- practicing of unassisted oral presentations and written papers in English.

Year 2

English speaking and writing skills at a B1 level.

Lecture with a multimedia presentation, interactive lecture, problem-based lecture, discussions, text-based work, case study work, creative methods, group work.

3

Course learning content:

- polish masterpieces in historical context,

- the criteria allowing to distinguish a masterpiece in literature,

- literary currents, conventions, genres and types of literature in a culture,

- a work of art as a carrier of certain values and worldviews and the essential element in a tradition,

- a work of art as a source of historical knowledge and history as a context for interpretation of a literary work,

- an author’s biography and interpretation of his work,

- adaptations and paraphrases of a literary work as ways of its presence in the social consciousness.

Reading list:

Medieval Literature of Poland: an Anthology. Ed. Michael J. Mikoś. New York: Garland. [now Oxford, UK: Taylor & Francis]. 1992.

J. Kochanowski, Laments, transl. S. Barańczak, S. Heaney

M. Sęp Szarzyński, The Poetry of Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński, R. Sokolski Ed., Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1990.

Polish Baroque and Enlightenment literature: an anthology, Michael J. Mikoś Ed, Columbus: Ohio Slavica Publishers [1996].

J. Potocki, The manuscript found in Saragossa, transl. I. Maclean, London: Penguin 1996.

Polish Romantic drama: three plays in English translation, selected and edited, [translated from the Polish and] with an introduction by Harold B. Segel, Ithaca; London: Cornell University Press, 1977.

E. Orzeszkowa, On the Niemen, transl. Michelle Granas […] 2014.

B. Prus, The Doll, transl. D. Welsh, New York: Hippocrene 1993.

H. Sienkiewicz, With fire and sword, transl. W. Kuniczak, New York: Copernicus Society of America 1991

S. Żeromski, Ashes, transl. H. Sienkieiwcz-Zand, New York-London, A. A. Knopf, 1928.

W. S. Reymont, The Peasants, transl. M. H. Dziewicki, London: Jarrolds 1925-28.

S. I. Witkiewicz, The Witkiewicz reader, edited, translated and with an introduction by D. Gerould, London: Quartet 1993.

B. Schulz, The Street of Crocodiles – Sanatorium under the Sign of Hourglass

Z. Nałkowska, Medallions, Northwestern University Press 1999.

W. Gombrowicz, Diary, New Haven – London: Yale University Press 2012.

S. Mrożek, Streptease – Tango – Vatzlav, New York: Grove Press 1981.

Fifteen Polish Modern Short Stories. An Annotated Reader and Glossary, A. M. Schenker ed., New Haven – London: Yale University Press 1970.

The Eagle and the Crow. Contemporary Polish Short Fiction, Teresa and George Hyde Eds., Serpent’s.

On successful completion of this course, a student will be able to:

- point the masterpieces and the most prominent works, name in general terms the eras they belong to and the literary work’s place in the cultural tradition,

- analyze and interpret the prominent literary works in the context of the eras they belong to and with engagement of selected methodologies,

- use the methods of analysis, interpretation and evaluation of literary works during the reading process and establish what signles out a work to be named a masterpiece in a given culture,

- use literary works as a source of knowledge about history and societies,

- establish the significance of the works discussed in class for the national tradition and their role in the self-identification and national identity building processes,

- point at the waysmasterpieces function within social circulation (their place in didactics, quotations, theatrical and film adaptations etc.) and is aware of the consequent place they hold in the general consciousness.

Assessment criteria:

very good (bdb; 5,0): a very good knowledge of the works discussed in class and additional texts selected and covered unassisted by a student; a very good skill of referring the problems they carry with reference to the basic literary terminology, a very good knowledge of the relevant philosophical and aesthetical ideas and of history and culture of selected eras, a great analytical and interpretative skill, a very good ability in practicing various form of scholarly presentation (participation in discussion, research paper).

good plus (+db; 4,5): as above with slight shortcomings in analysis and interpretation of the literary work and some gaps if knowledge concerning the covered philosophical and historical contexts for the works covered in class.

good (db; 4,0): a broader range of shortcomings possible, slightly lesser knowledge of the works covered in class and their historical context, a lower skill of recapitulating their main ideas and greater shortcomings in the research paper.

satisfactory plus (+dst; 3,5):, a satisfactory knowledge of the works discussed in class and additional texts selected and covered unassisted by a student; a satisfactory skill of referring the problems they carry with reference to the basic literary and methodological terminology a satisfactory analytical and interpretative skill proven also in the research paper.

satisfactory (dst; 3,0): a satisfactory knowledge of the works discussed in class and additional texts selected and covered unassisted by a student; a satisfactory skill of referring the problems they carry with reference to the basic literary and methodological terminology, a much smaller knowledge on the historical contexts, broadly speaking simplified analytical and interpretative skills documented by the research paper.

unsatisfactory (ndst; 2,0): an unsatisfactory of the masterpieces of Polish literaturę, a lack of skill in abridging the problems they touch, a lack of knowledge on their historical context and therefore the foundations for any required interpretative actions; a student cannot be admitted for the oral exam if he or she has not earned a positive grade for the research paper.