Department of Slavonic Studies

Modern & Medieval Languages

Department of Slavonic Studies

Paper Ru 3

The history and culture of Early Rus

Course Adviser: Professor Simon Franklin

N.B. This page only introduces you to the paper.

The Paper

Russia is in origin a Latin word meaning “the land of the Rus”. In the early ninth century neither Russia nor Russians existed. No “Rus” are mentioned in any sources, and no land is ascribed to them. Finno-Ugrian, Slav and Turkic tribes inhabited parts of the areas which we now think of as European Russia and Ukraine, but they lived separate lives, spoke separate languages, obeyed separate leaders, worshipped separate gods. Yet by the thirteenth century most of this vast territory was ruled by members of a single dynasty, with a single official faith (Christianity) and a single dominant language of culture (Slavonic). The course explores how this first “Russia” emerged and how the earliest “Russian” literature and culture took shape. The Paper is divided into two sections: “set texts” and “topics”. The texts introduce students to a range of styles and themes in early Rus literature: historical narrative, saints' lives, aphorisms and humorous writing, lyrical evocation. The language of the original texts, though challenging in places, is reasonably accessible with practice. Note, however, that all texts are also available in modern Russian and/or English versions, and that Part IB students (especially ex-ab-initio students) are not required to read substantial texts in the original. The “topics” - for which the “texts” are often also the main sources - cover broad areas of political, social and cultural history.

Texts and Topics for 2013-14:

Texts: Житие Феодосия Печерского; Поучение Владимира Мономаха; Повесть временных лет (to 1054); Моление Даниила Заточника; Житие Александра Невского; Слово о полку Игореве

Topics will include:

  • the formation of the State;
  • the political system;
  • the Conversion;
  • the Mongol conquests;
  • the Church and monasteries;
  • art and architecture;
  • literacy and literature;
  • law; women and gender

Preparatory Reading

All the texts are available, with translations into modern Russian, in the series Библиотека литературы Древней Руси (online at http://www.pushkinskijdom.ru/Default.aspx?tabid=1941

Useful introductory reading:

  • B. Dmytryshyn, Medieval Russia. A Source Book 850-1700 (3rd ed., Fort Worth, 1990), pp. 1-175.
  • Simon Franklin and Jonathan Shepard, The Emergence of Rus 750-1300 (London, 1996).
  • Janet Martin, Medieval Russia 980-1584  (2nd edition, Cambridge, 2007).
  • Dimitri Obolensky, The Byzantine Commonwealth. Eastern Europe 500-1500 (London, 1971).

N.B. the reading list above is to serve as an introduction to the subject. A Full Reading List is avaliable here.

Teaching

The teaching for this paper will be arranged by weekly lectures and fortnightly supervisions throughout the academic year.

Assessment

The examination paper will be divided into two sections: Section A, containing questions on the set texts; and Section B, with questions on historical and cultural topics. All candidates will be required to answer three questions, at least one from each section. A textual commentary question is compulsory for Part II candidates.

Individuals with Raven passwords may download copies of recent examination papers from the Faculty CamTools site here.

Contact

Professor Simon Franklin, Clare College; scf1000@cam.ac.uk

 

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