Subjects

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Central European and Czech Literature - JTB321

Title:	Central European and Czech Literature
Czech title:	Středoevropská a česká literatura
Guaranteed by:	Department of Russian and East European Studies (23-KRVS)
Faculty:	Faculty of Social Sciences
Actual:	from 2021
Semester:	winter
E-Credits:	6
Examination process:	winter s.:
Hours per week, examination:	winter s.:0/2, Ex [HT]
Capacity:	unknown / 16 (12)
Min. number of students:	unlimited
4EU+:	no
Virtual mobility / capacity:	no
State of the course:	taught
Language:	English
Teaching methods:	full-time
Teaching methods:	full-time
Note:	course can be enrolled in outside the study plan enabled for web enrollment

Guarantor:	PhDr. Dana Hůlková Nývltová, Ph.D.
Teacher(s):	PhDr. Dana Hůlková Nývltová, Ph.D.
Class:	Courses not for incoming students

Examination dates WS schedule Noticeboard

Annotation

Last update: Mgr. Jiřina Tomečková (26.09.2023)

The seminar aims to introduce students to Czech literature within the context of Central Europe. It deals with the authors, who transcend and/or define the Czech cultural space in a very significant way. The aim of the seminar is to introduce students to Czech literature from the beginning to the present, with an emphasis on the 20th century. The students are to bring in the perspectives of Czech literature from the perspectives of both speakers of other languages and other cultural backgrounds, and contextually broad view of individual works that can be placed in a cultural, historical and political context.

Thematic headings:
- excursus into older Czech literature - setting in the European context - national revival - the end
19th century - early 20th century - World War I - First Republic - Second World War -
literature in the socialist period - post-revolutionary development - what is Czech literature and what language does it speak? - women's view of reality through the eyes of women writers - literature and totalitarianism - Czechness and Europeanness - official and unofficial - the role of the canon - trends and currents - critical reflections - post-revolutionary limitless space

Aim of the course

Last update: Mgr. Jiřina Tomečková (26.09.2023)

This class is designed to:

- develop student’s knowledge of Czech literary history and context

- establish the foundation for ability to compare what development was / is happening in other literary contexts

- help students to be well versed in certain topics reflected by Czech literature in central European context

- provide a foundation for further study of Czech history, culture and language

Students will be able to

- recognize and name crucial authors and works and classify them within the historical and cultural context.

- define fundamental cultural periods and movements, compare them either synchronically or diachronically to the others

- analyze literary work and its genre and reflect its characteristic / specific level of the text.

- synthetize the individual findings into a presentation and create an original piece of interpretative work.

Course completion requirements

Last update: Bc. Sára Lochmanová (05.10.2023)

Dean’s measure 17 / 2018 and 20 / 2019 orders the following grading scale:

91% and more → A excellent (excellent performance with only minor imperfections)
81 – 90% → B very good (above average performance, but with some shortcomings)
71 – 80% → C good (overall good performance with a number of recessions)
61 – 70% → D satisfactory (acceptable performance but with significant weakness)
51 – 60% → E fair (performance meets minimum requirements)
0 – 50% → F inadequate, failed (a considerable amount of further work is required)

using rounding up.

The evaluation consists of several sub-evaluations:

active engagement and preparation based on assigned texts and questions

quizzes

final test

2 presentations*

45%

10%

15%

30%

More in SMĚRNICE S_SO_002: Organizace zkouškových termínů, kontrol studia a užívání klasifikace A–F na FSV UK.

Literature

Last update: Mgr. Jiřina Tomečková (26.09.2023)

Required Readings

Karel Hynek Mácha – May (Moodle)

Božena Němcová – The Grand mother (Moodle)

Jaroslav Hašek – Good Soldier Svejk and his Fortune in the World War (amazon, nejlevnejsiknihy.cz, kosmas.cz, Moodle)

Kathleen Hayes – A World Appart and Other Stories (karolinum.cz, Moodle)

Karel Čapek – R.U.R. (Moodle)

Jiří Weil – Mendelson is on the Roof (BooksVooks: https://booksvooks.com/mendelssohn-is-on-the-roof-pdf-jii-weil.html) Life with a Star (nejlevnejsiknihy.cz, Moodle)

Josef Škvorecký . The Cowards (BooksVooks: https://booksvooks.com/the-cowards-pdf-josef-skvorecky.html, nejlevnejsiknihy.cz)

Bohumil Hrabal (BooksVooks: https://booksvooks.com/nonscrolablepdf/too-loud-a-solitude-pdf-bohumil-hrabal.html?page=3, nejlevnejsiknihy.cz)

Milan Kundera – The Joke (BooksVooks: https://booksvooks.com/the-joke-pdf-milan-kundera.html, nejlevnejsiknihy.cz)

Jaroslav Seifert – On the waves of TSF (Moodle, nejlevnejsiknihy.cz)

Vaclav Havel - Audience (Moodle, nejlevnejsiknihy.cz)

One contemporary book by own choice.

Bílek P. A. Czech Literature Guide. Prague 2011

Wellek, R. Essays on Czech Literature. Hague: Mouton, 1963

Sayer, D. The Coasts of Bohemia: A Czech History, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998

Recommended Readings

will be presented during the semester and student also should search for them.

Supplementary readings

extracts, hand-outs, materials in the Moodle and in-class materials

Teaching methods

Last update: Mgr. Jiřina Tomečková (26.09.2023)

Classes take place in class and combine frontline teaching with interactive tasks, cooperative learning in small groups / pairwork and individual presentation of the student. It is necessary to be prepared prior to each lesson – go through samples, read book or texts and extracts provided / required to be able to actively participate in class.

Typical class structure is review of last lessons, discussing the questions about prior to class materials, establishing new subject matter, conclusion and feedback.

Syllabus

Last update: Mgr. Jiřina Tomečková (26.09.2023)

Introductory lesson.

Periodization of Czech literary tradition – dominant and covering eras.

Key topics and questions reflected and influencing Czech and central European context.

Older Czech literature - historical context, new perspectives on forming Czech and central European identity.

Dawn of the modern literature. Romantic and wild.

Mácha – May

Emancipation of the nation and the most famous Czech female writer Božena Němcová educated in German, married Czech called Němec (Němec means German) and modern in literary expression.

Němcová – The Grandmother

Fin de siècle – beginning of the century – war and its reflections.

Hašek – Good Soldier Švejk.

A World Appart and Other Stories. Female writers in Czech literary tradition.

From Majerová to Součková.

Female short stories.

Avantgarde – utopia – antiutopia – politics – visions.

Čapek – R.U.R.

War and Jewish experience.

Weil – Medelson is on the Roof. Life with a Star.

Post was period. Re-examination of the truth. Under the Communist ideology.

Škvorecký – The Cowards, Hrabal – Too Loud a Solitude, Kundera – The Joke

Recognition of award-winning authors. Interdiction, Nobel-Prize and statue in the Congress.

Seifert – On the Waves of TSF, Havel – Audience

Velvet literature from 1989 up to now.

Final test.

Chosen books.

Closing the semester.

Entry requirements

Last update: Mgr. Jiřina Tomečková (26.09.2023)

This course is designed for students who

- have previous knowledge of basic Czech language (at least A1 level CEFL)

- have an idea about Czech political history and knowledge of main historical milestones of Czech history

- are able to compare topics of the seminar to the literature of their own cultural tradition / their native language / state of origin or any other European literature