Department of Slavonic Studies
Paper Uk 1
Introduction to the Language, Literature and Culture of Ukraine
Course Adviser: Rory Finnin'Ukraine is a country that is 'in between' in all possible ways,' according to the Ukrainian intellectual Mykola Riabchuk. This paper introduces you to the rich language, literature, and culture of Ukraine and seizes upon the 'in-betweenness' of the second largest country in Europe - the historical permeability of its territorial, linguistic, and ethnic borders - as an opportunity to explore the interdependency of the cultures of Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region.
Ukrainian, spoken by over 40 million people around the world, is the official state language of Ukraine. For centuries its very existence was under threat from Russian Imperial and Soviet authorities; today, from the cafes of L'viv to the boulevards of Kyiv and Odesa, it is experiencing a profound revival. This paper offers an introduction to the fundamentals of Ukrainian designed for those with very little or no knowledge of the language. Through twice-weekly classes during the academic year, you will learn the principal grammar structures and vocabulary so as to acquire a basic proficiency in reading and speaking Ukrainian.
The literature and visual culture of Ukraine will be the focus of weekly lectures and fortnightly supervisions. The first part of the course will trace the development of modern Ukrainian literature in the nineteenth century from the burlesque travesty of Kotliarevs'kyi and his epigones to the passionate romanticism of Shevchenko. The second part will chart the reverberations of what might be called the 'Shevchenko effect' - the resounding call for a commitment to national culture - in Ukrainian letters from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Click here for the full reading list. Key works include:
- Ivan Kotliarevs'kyi, Eneyida / Aeneid
- Nikolai Gogol', Evenings on a Farmstead near Dikanka and Taras Bul'ba
- Taras Shevchenko, Kobzar
- Ol'ha Kobylians'ka, Valse melancholique
- Mykola Khvyl'ovyi, Val'dshnepy / The Woodcocks
- Iurii Andrukhovych, Rekreatsiyi / Recreations
- Andrei Kurkov, Death and the Penguin
Prior to the beginning of the Michaelmas term, the student may find it helpful to read Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation by Serhy Yekelchyk (Oxford, 2007) and to study the first five chapters of Colloquial Ukrainian: The Complete Course for Beginners by Ian Press and Stefan M. Pugh (London, 1994). The recommended dictionary for translation exercises is C.H. Andrusyshen's Ukrainian-English Dictionary (Toronto, 1981). 'All of these resources may be accessed at the MML library and on CamTools or purchased at www.amazon.co.uk.
This paper is open to students of ALL Departments of the Faculty and available in BOTH Part IB AND Part II. At Part IB the paper is available both to former post-A-level students and to former beginners. The three-hour written examination will consist of a translation from Ukrainian and two essays in English from a range of literary and cultural topics.
For more information, please click here.
The scheduled papers and the dissertation(s) may all relate to one language area or may be spread over different language areas. It is *always* advisable to take at least one scheduled paper with components in the same language as your language papers because the books that you read will feed into your language work, helping your fluency in reading and writing, and extending your vocabulary.
