Poets of the Silver Age, the Revolution and the Terror

What is the course about?

We will explore the diversity of styles adopted by Symbolists, Acmeists and Futurists, Yesenin's hugely popular "peasant" lyricism, and the ways in which the extended careers and personalities of Akhmatova, Mandelstam and Tsvetaeva, feted at the outset but later subjected to ruthless ideological scrutiny, left their mark on an entire epoch – indeed on all Russian epochs up to now.

The emphasis throughout will be on the close reading of key texts, from Blok's controversial, Biblical/Bolshevik 'The Twelve' (1918) and poems by Mayakovsky celebrating the advent of the new order, to the intoxicating, sensuous love lyrics of Pasternak’s ‘My Sister Life’ (1917), Mandelstam's 'Voronezh Notebooks' written in exile in the 1930's, and Akhmatova's anguished testimony of a survivor 'Poem Without a Hero' (1940-66, unfinished).

What will we cover?

The poems themselves, closely read and discussed, and the evolving aesthetic stances they represent, will largely set our agenda. How far did they engage with the surrounding turmoil, how far remain faithful to trajectories of their own? What was it about the intimacy, delicacy, erudition of a few words arranged on a page – such slender reeds – that incurred the wrath of the political masters, with such tragic outcomes? Why was one poem, regardless of the intellectual and experimental finesse they all share, deemed more reprehensible than another? How justified are the conventional estimates of an individual’s pliability (Blok, Mayakovsky, Yesenin, Pasternak), or of his or her inability or refusal to conform (Akhmatova, Mandelstam, Tsvetaeva) – if the latter, in the name of what alternative values?

What was it, in terms of a personal mythology informing all their work,that each poet held most sacred? All the poetry we’ll look at is unthinkable without – steeped in – a literary tradition stretching back to Pushkin, the 19th century Golden Age and beyond, as it is in an understanding of the humanising role of the intelligentsia for the rest of society that remains, however constrained, in place today. What, line by line, is the evidence of both of these? How far does the vexed question of translatability also need to be taken into account?

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

• Discuss a wide selection of poems with some critical sophistication and technical knowledge
• Explore other poems by these writers with an overview of the themes and methods informing their work as a whole
• Use these texts as springboards for further investigation of the relationship between 20th century Russian Literature and its social and historical contexts.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

Some previous literary study would be useful but anyone interested in literature who enjoys close reading and is willing to take part in discussion is welcome.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

There will be a variety of teaching methods, including direct tutor input, power point and video. There will be opportunities to express why individually we are participating on the course and what we hope to take away from it. No work outside class apart from reading the recommended texts circulated digitally before each session.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

All the poems will be supplied by the tutor. Recommendations for specific editions of each poet will be made during the course should you wish to explore their work further.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Have a look at other poetry courses at www.citylit.ac.uk under History, Culture and Writing/literature/poetry.