HSE-NES BA Program Fall 2013
The Paths of Faust: A Pact with the Devil in Literature and Art
Instructor: Irina Kuznetsova [email protected] Class-time: MW 13:30-15:00 Office hours: TBD
Course description
The legendary Faust, a man who sells his soul to the devil to achieve his personal aspirations, has appeared repeatedly in masterpieces of world literature, art, and music since the 16th century. What facets of the Faust motif have ensured its lasting relevance through 400 years of historical and social transformation? In this course we will examine the development of the Faust motif through time. We’ll start with the legend’s origins in the Renaissance- Reformation period and its first literary adaptation by the British dramatist Christopher Marlowe, pass through Enlightenment and modernity, and finish with the most recent interpretation of the legend by the Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov. While exploring the roots of the motif’s persistence through time, we will address the following questions: What is the Faustian nature? How does each age adapt the motif to its own concerns? Where do the elements of continuity and change lie? What distinctive characteristics does each culture (British, German, and Russian) reveal through particular ways it adapts the legend? How do these Faustian works of art respond and contribute to the social, political, and historical contexts in which they are produced?
During the course students will read, among others, the following famous Faustian works: Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, Byron's Manfred, Goethe’s Faust, Turgenev’s short story Faust, Oscar Wilde’s The Portrait of Dorian Gray. They will also listen to the musical pieces of Mahler, Gounod, and Listz; watch Murnau’s and Sokurov’s adaptations of the legend; and read some excerpts from theoretical texts on the topic.
Upon completion of the course, students would produce a short research paper by formulating an original argument based on the material covered in class. Weekly online discussions, written assignments, and oral presentations during the semester should be viewed as steps in developing the final research project.
The course will consist of 32 seminars that will take place twice a week.
HSE-NES BA Program Fall 2013
Attendance, grading, and make-up policy
Preparation for classes and active participation in class discussions is crucial to doing well in this course. Once a week students should post contributions to the online discussion group (ca. 1 paragraph) based on the reading for the week.
The grading breakdown
A student's grade in this course will be determined on the basis of:
Class discussion and participation 20% Online discussions 10% A short oral presentation 10% A short writing assignment 10% Midterm Exam 20% Final Research Paper 30%
Make-up policy
If you are failing the course you are allowed to rewrite either a midterm exam or a final paper.
Course outline
The following is a general outline for the semester and may be subject to modification.
M 02/09 Introduction: Changing faces of Dr. Faustus. Faust as an emblem of Western civilization.
The roots of the Faust legend. W 04/09 The History of the Damnable Life and Deserved Death of Doctor John Faustus (a.k.a.: The English Faust Book)
M 09/09 Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus
W 11/09 Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus
M 16/09 Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus
HSE-NES BA Program Fall 2013
W 18/09 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust. Part I
M 23/09 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust. Part I
W 25/09 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust. Part I
M 30/09 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust. Part I
W 02/10 Lord Byron, Manfred
M 07/10 Lord Byron, Manfred
W 09/10 Faust motif in Russian literature of the 19th century: Alexander Pushkin, Scene from Faust; Turgenev, Faust
M 14/10 Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
W 16/10 Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
M 21/10 Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
W 23/10 Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
M 28/10 -04/11 READING DAYS
W 06/11 Midterm Exam
M 11/11 Faust in European music: Mahler, Symphony No. 8 & Liszt, A Faust Symphony; excerpts from Charles Gounod’s opera Faust
HSE-NES BA Program Fall 2013
W 13/11 F. W. Murnau, Faust: film screening
M 18/11 F. W. Murnau, Faust: discussion of the film
W 20/11 Thomas Mann, Doctor Faustus
M 25/11 Thomas Mann, Doctor Faustus
W 27/11 Thomas Mann, Doctor Faustus
M 02/12 Thomas Mann, Doctor Faustus
W 04/12 Alexander Sokurov, Faust: film screening
M 09/12 Alexander Sokurov, Faust: film screening
W 11/12 Alexander Sokurov: discussion of the film
M 16/12 Sokurov’s Faust: presentation by a guest lecturer
W 18/12 Final discussion
Academic integrity policy
Cheating, plagiarism, and any other violations of academic ethics are strictly forbidden.