CJLB500 Non-human animal in Czech literature of the 20th century: radical otherness or radical kinship?

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2020
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Jan Matonoha, Ph.D. (lecturer), doc. PhDr. Zbyněk Fišer, Ph.D. (deputy)
Mgr. Dime Mitrevski (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Zbyněk Fišer, Ph.D.
Department of Czech Literature – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Eva Zachová
Supplier department: Department of Czech Literature – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each even Thursday 12:00–15:40 L31
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 14 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course is focused on critical reading of anthropocentric pre-conceptions in the literary texts of canonical authors in Czech literature through the lens of Non-Human Animal Studies (a term which presupposes that the human is also an animal). It is based on the premise that the understanding and study of animals in humanities are governed by а dual and contradictory, yet complementary approach: the animals are being perceived as either radically different (Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari) or radically akin, even contiguous with man (Giorgio Agamben, do značné míry Jacques Derrida, Donna Haraway, Cary Wolfe ad.). Despite the lasting inspirational ability of the former (even for us), the latter is currently prevalent. It indicates that a hiatus between the so-called human and the so-called animal has been created, discursively and materially, and that this relation has been strategically and subconsciously displaced. Then, the subject of the criticism is the question of how traditionally and readily is man set against a whole kingdom of beasts, in spite of the fluid continuity evident between the both.
The course is divided into two parts: a theoretical introduction followed by a practical analysis of Czech literary texts.
Learning outcomes
Following the completion of the course, the student shall be able:
– to identify and summarise the key features of the criticism of the anthropocentric pre-conceptions in literary texts;
– to determine and describe the typical domestic and foreign expressions of anthropocentric pre-conceptions in literary texts;
– to analyse contemporary theoretical findings in a given literary field;
– to propose and explicate a suitable literary method for examining a given phenomenon.
Syllabus
  • In addition to the introduction, the survey of questions and issues, the students’ queries, the final test, the summary, and the feedback section, the course is divided into the following units:
  • 1. Theoretical introduction: Giles Deleuze and/vs Donna Haraway.
  • 2. Theoretical introduction (continuation): Jacques Derrida: The Animal That Therefore I Am. Cary Wolfe: Animal Rites. A selection from the (Zo)ontologies.
  • 3. Giorgo Agamben: Lʼaperto. Zoé vs bios. (Homo sacer.)
  • 4. The Czech context (Zdeněk Neubauer, Jaroslav Flegr, Daniel Frynta, Stanislav Komárek, Zdeněk Markoš a Tomáš Daněk, Tereza Vandrovcová, Tomáš Hříbek, David Černý, Petr Urban and others.).
  • 5. The European literary context (William Blake, David Garnett, Ernest Hemingway, Jorge Luis Borges, J. M. Coetzee ad.). – Literary text reading list
  • 6. Franz Kafka: Výzkumy jednoho psa, Sup, Obří krtek, Zpěvačka Josefína aneb Myší národ, Doupě.
  • 7. Jaroslav Hašek: Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka za světové války; Velitelem města Bugulmy a jiné povídky.
  • 8. Karel Čapek: Ze života hmyzu, R.U.R., the case of “robot” vs cyborg (Donna Haraway), Válka s mloky.
  • 9. Milan Kundera: Žert (a gender analysis: Lucie and the silent voice), Nesnesitelná lehkost bytí (Karenin).
  • 10. Bohumil Hrabal: Příliš hlučná samota, Autíčko (and the context of the short-story cycle Skořicové krámy Bruna Schulze).
Teaching methods
class discussion, homework
Assessment methods
home work
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
General note: Předmět bude otevřen a vyučován při minimálním počtu 6 zapsaných studujících.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2020/CJLB500