RSb040 Introduction to Literary Studies

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2019
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Pavel Pilch, Ph.D. (lecturer)
prof. PhDr. Ivo Pospíšil, DrSc. (lecturer)
Mgr. Pavel Pilch, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Ivo Pospíšil, DrSc.
Department of Slavonic Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Pavel Pilch, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Slavonic Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 14:00–15:40 B2.43
Prerequisites (in Czech)
! RJA116 Introduction to Lit. Studies
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The introductory course in literary studies covers basic characteristics of the subject - literature, or more precisely belles-lettres/artistic literature, its origins and development, its social functions, basic methods of literary studies and terminology connected with these methods, as well as the interpretation of contemporary methodological currents and the structure of modern literary criticism, its disciplines including theoretical and historical poetics, comparative literature, genre studies, plot studies, narratology, imagology, area studies, cognitive literary studies and different aspects proceed from general cultural and political discourse (like postcolonial literature, gender studies, feministic criticism and others).
Slavonic orientation of the course proceeds from the history of Slavonic philology and from the traditions of the Czech comparative approach and the study of literary genres.
The seminar focuses on various spheres of literary studies (among other things versology, narratology, theory of prose, the connection of literature with other kinds of art, application of modern technologies and selected terms of literary studies).
The course forms the cognitive basis for further subjects of literary and cultural studies including subjects of literary history and theory).
Learning outcomes
After finishing the course, the student will be able to diachronically and synchronically identify the subject of literary studies research—belles-lettres, its various forms from the point of view of literary studies disciplines, particularly theoretical and historical poetics, comparative literature, genre studies, plot studies, narratology etc., methods of the artistic literature research and contemporary trends of literary criticism analysis; will know how to work with certain texts and to use the knowledge and methods adequate to the research aims; will be capable of the involvement of contemporary discourse of literary studies with respect to the new attitudes and knowledge of general cultural and political character; will independently analyze and interpret a literary text and to master the basics of the concept of Slavonic literary studies.
Syllabus
  • Literature as a kind of art, beginnings of literary art and its utilitarian and non-utilitarian character, literature as magic, literature and religion.
  • Relation of literature and folklore.
  • Basic stages of the history of aesthetic thought and its relation to literary art.
  • Literary criticism in the system of sciences, related disciplines (history, philosophy, sociology, psychology, anthropology, aesthetics).
  • Application of methods from other disciplines (statistics, information and communication theory), auxiliary disciplines (textology, paleography, bibliography, bibliology).
  • The structure of literary criticism, its disciplines and subdisciplines, and its mutual relations.
  • Evolution of literary methods (philological, impressionistic, biographical, psychological methods, Geisteswissenschaft, intuitivism, immanent methods, Russian formalism, New Criticism, structuralism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, deconstruction, poststructuralism and postmodernism, area/philological area studies, gender studies, feministic criticism, postcolonial literary concept, cognitivism etc.).
  • The relation of the history of literature and literary methods with special regard to the situation of interwar Czechoslovakia, the traditions of the Prague Linguistic Circle, Roman Jakobson, Vilém Mathesius, René Wellek.
  • The problems of the confrontation of various methods.
  • Contemporary discourse of literary criticism, literature and other kinds of art, synthetic genres with prevailing visual/fine art aspect, literature and modern technologies, new genres connected with modern technologies.
  • Literary criticism, its genres and methods.
  • Literary history, periodization, its criteria, the periodization boundaries, conceptions of literary history, theory of literary history.
  • Theory of literature and its disciplines: theory of literature and poetics, theoretical poetics, historical poetics, general poetics. Genre theory (genology) and the history of literary genres. Comparative literary studies, their development and methods. Plot studies, its development, methods and up-to-now research results. Narratology, its development, methods and up-to-now research results.
  • Poetry: verse theory. Prose theory. Drama theory. Trivial and mass literature theory. Childrenʼs literature theory. Theory of radio, film and TV texts, theory of new genres as a result of modern technologies, literature and social networks.
  • Problems of literary currents and their function in the 21st century.
  • Slavonic studies, Slavonic literary studies and their disciplines.
  • Literary criticism and Slavonic studies at the crossroads: the development of methodology and the impact of social sciences, special journals and scholarly organizations.
Literature
    required literature
  • POSPÍŠIL, Ivo. Základní okruhy filologické a literárněvědné metodologie a teorie (elementy, materiály, úvahy, pojetí, texty) (The Basic Spheres of Philological and Literary Methodology and Theory (Elements, Materials, Reflections, Conceptions, Texts)). Trnava: Univerzita sv. Cyrila a Metoda v Trnave, Filozofická fakulta, 2010, 275 pp. ISBN 978-80-8105-191-3. info
    recommended literature
  • Ďurišin, D.: Čo je svetová literatúra? Bratislava 1992
  • POSPÍŠIL, Ivo. Literární genologie (Theory of Literary Genres). 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2014, 118 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-6894-0. Digitální knihovna FF MU info
  • POSPÍŠIL, Ivo. Areál a filologická studia (Area and Philological Studies). 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2013, 154 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-6471-3. Digitální knihovna FF MU info
  • POSPÍŠIL, Ivo. Pátrání po nové identitě : (rusistické a vztahové reflexe). Vyd. 1. Brno: SVN Regiony, 2008, 273 s. ISBN 808673515X. info
  • GENETTE, Gérard. Fikce a vyprávění. Vyd. 1. Brno: Ústav pro českou literaturu AV ČR, 2007, 96 s. ISBN 9788085778007. info
  • Lexikon teorie literatury a kultury : koncepce / osobnosti / základní pojmy. Edited by Ansgar Nünning - Jiří Trávníček - Jiří Holý, Translated by Al. Vydání první. Brno: Host, 2006, 912 stran. ISBN 8072941704. info
  • CULLER, Jonathan. Krátký úvod do literární teorie. Vyd. 1. Brno: Host, 2002, 167 s. ISBN 80-7294-070-8. info
  • PAVERA, Libor and František VŠETIČKA. Lexikon literárních pojmů. 1. vyd. Olomouc: Nakladatelství Olomouc, 2002, 422 s. ISBN 80-7182-124-1. info
  • POSPÍŠIL, Ivo. Světové literatury 20. století v kostce (---). Praha: Libri, 1999. ISBN 80-85983-80-X. info
  • HAMAN, Aleš. Úvod do studia literatury a interpretace díla. 1. vyd. Jinočany: H&H, 1999, 179 s. ISBN 8086022579. info
  • POSPÍŠIL, Ivo. Genologie a proměny literatury. Vyd. 1. Brno: Filozofická fakulta Masarykovy univerzity, 1998, 154 s. ISBN 8021018720. URL info
  • WELLEK, René and Austin WARREN. Teorie literatury. Olomouc: Votobia, 1996, 555 s. ISBN 80-7198-150-8. info
  • PAVELKA, Jiří and Ivo POSPÍŠIL. Slovník epoch, směrů, skupin a manifestů. Brno: Georgetown, 1993, 290 s. ISBN 8090160409. info
  • POSPÍŠIL, Ivo. Úvod do studia literatury pro rusisty. Vydání první. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 1991, 116 stran. ISBN 8021002492. info
  • INGARDEN, Roman Stanisław. Umělecké dílo literární. Translated by Antonín Mokrejš. Vyd. 1. Praha: Odeon, 1989, 419 s. ISBN 8020701044. URL info
  • BACHTIN, Michail Michajlovič. Estetika slovesnej tvorby. V Bratislave: Tatran, 1988. info
  • Slovník literárních směrů a skupin [Vlašín, 1983]. Edited by Štěpán Vlašín. 2., dopl. vyd. Praha: Panorama, 1983, 367 s. info
  • MUKAŘOVSKÝ, Jan. Studie z poetiky. Edited by Hana Mukařovská. Vyd. v tomto uspoř. 1. Praha: Odeon, 1982, 906 s. URL info
  • HRABÁK, Josef. Úvod do teorie verše. 5., přeprac. vyd. Praha: Státní pedagogické nakladatelství, 1978, 239 s. URL info
  • HRABÁK, Josef. Poetika. Druhé vydání. Praha: Československý spisovatel, 1977, 361 stran. info
  • Slovník literární teorie. Edited by Štěpán Vlašín. 1. vyd. Praha: Československý spisovatel, 1977, 471 s. URL info
  • HRABÁK, Josef. Literární komparatistika. 1. vyd. Praha: Státní pedagogické nakladatelství, 1976, 206 s. URL info
  • TOMAŠEVSKIJ, Boris Viktorovič. Teorie literatury. 1. vyd. Praha: Lidové nakladatelství, 1970, 157 s. URL info
  • NEZVAL, Vítězslav. Moderní básnické směry. Praha: Československý spisovatel, 1964. info
    not specified
  • KUBÍČEK, Tomáš, Jiří HRABAL and Petr A. BÍLEK. Naratologie : strukturální analýza vyprávění. V Praze: Dauphin, 2013, 247 s. ISBN 9788072725922. info
  • Průvodce po světové literární teorii 20. století. Edited by Vladimír Macura - Alice Jedličková. Vydání první. Brno: Host, 2012, 839 stran. ISBN 9788072948482. info
  • JEDLIČKOVÁ, Alice. Zkušenost prostoru : vyprávění a vizuální paralely. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2010, 271 s. ISBN 9788020018298. info
  • JEDLIČKOVÁ, Alice. Ke komu mluví vypravěč? : adresát v komunikační perspektivě prózy. 1. vyd. [Jinočany]: Ústav pro českou a světovou literaturu, 1993, 123 s. ISBN 808577805X. info
Teaching methods
Lectures with ppt presentation, seminars focused on the application of theoretical knowledge on the analyses of literary texts.
Assessment methods
The condition for taking exams is the fulfilment of homeworks, participation in discussions, work with e-learning supporting course.
Assessment: written test that has 4 blocks of questions (4 × 15 pts). Grading scale: A 60–51 pts, B 50–47 pts, C 46–42 pts, D 41–38 pts, E 37–33 pts, F 32–0 pts.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
Information about innovation of course.
This course has been innovated under the project "Faculty of Arts as Centre of Excellence in Education: Complex Innovation of Study Programmes and Fields at FF MU with Regard to the Requirements of the Knowledge Economy“ – Reg. No. CZ.1.07/2.2.00/28.0228, which is cofinanced by the European Social Fond and the national budget of the Czech Republic.

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Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2019, recent)
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