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This course focuses on the works written by Bohumil Hrabal (1914–1997), who is estimated to be one of the greatest Czech authors, whose writings still inspire scholars and critics worldwide.
Intertextuality lies at the heart of Hrabal’s aesthetics. As he often stated himself when he talked about literature and his own reading experiences and preferences, one of the crucial constituents of his poetics is constant literary communication with other prosaists, poets, essayist, philosophers etc. Hrabal’s everchanging ability to combine various stories, references, excerpts or motifs, both from canonical “high” culture and from everyday life, with complex textual structures, integrating contrasts rather them eliminating them, makes his writing a distinctive example of the modern literary experiment. Hrabal’s texts represent a universe of allusions, quotes, word plays, explicit or implicit literary dialogues, which open us to the historical context, but more crucially, to the complex intertextual network of literary influences, cultural exchange and communication in and beyond the Central European region. This creative process was also not somehow completed by Bohumil Hrabal: his writings also became a part of this network themselves, when several other authors paid their tributes to him, became inspired by his narrative style or even copied it. We will examine selected works by Bohumil Hrabal and the other authors (see selected authors below in the weekly schedule), in an attempt to “decode” and describe some of those intertextual relationships and draw conclusions based on our analysis. Last update: Malá Lucie, Mgr. (18.09.2020)
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Over the course, students will become familiar with some of the major works of Bohumil Hrabal and several other authors, who either influenced him or paid tribute to his writing. The objective of the course is to interpret the texts and discuss the relationships between them in terms of motifs, narrative strategies, structure of texts, allusions etc. These interpretative case studies, discussed in the lessons, will also serve as a background for broader conclusions about the history Central European literature, as they inevitably lead us to go beyond textual analysis and poetics, opening us to the social and historical context of each work assigned. With every reading, some background about the history of text’s reception will be provided for better understanding of the context. The remarks formulated in various reviews and reactions may be also crucial for our class discussions. Students will learn how to employ critical interpretative tools used in literary criticism and theoretical concepts as narratology or intertextuality, which represent an especially vital framework for the objective of the course. Last update: Malá Lucie, Mgr. (18.09.2020)
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Readings
Recommended Readings Available in English (Selection)
Last update: Malá Lucie, Mgr. (18.09.2020)
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Due to the current epidemiological situation, this course will be held online via videoconference platform (Zoom). Every student will have a presentation (10–15 minutes) and write a final paper/essay. Final paper requirements are 2000–2500 words with footnotes referencing and bibliography of cited texts (a recognized format, e.g. MLA). There are no prescribed topics, but students are welcome to base the final paper on the previous presentation and course readings. It is strongly recommended to discuss the paper topic with the teacher in advance. Last update: Malá Lucie, Mgr. (18.09.2020)
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Week 1 Course overview / Introduction to life and work of Bohumil Hrabal Assigned reading: Bohumil Hrabal: Pirouettes on a Postage Stamp
Week 2 From the inspirations: Jaroslav Hašek Assigned reading: Jaroslav Hašek: Behind the Lines & At the Front (from The Good Soldier Švejk)
Week 3 From the inspirations: Franz Kafka Assigned reading: Franz Kafka: Description of a Struggle & Metamorphosis Recommended reading: Bohumil Hrabal: Mr. Kafka and Other Tales
Week 4 From the inspirations: Ladislav Klíma Assigned reading: Ladislav Klíma: The Sufferings of Prince Sternenhoch: A Grotesque Romanetto
Week 5 Hrabal’s Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age Assigned reading: Bohumil Hrabal: Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age
Week 6 Hrabal’s Closely Watched Trains Assigned reading: Bohumil Hrabal: Closely Watched Trains
Week 7 Hrabal’s I Served the King of England Assigned reading: Bohumil Hrabal: I Served the King of England
Week 8 From Hrabal’s short stories Assigned reading: Bohumil Hrabal: Rambling On: An Apprentice's Guide to the Gift of the Gab
Week 9 Hrabal’s Too Loud a Solitude Assigned reading: Bohumil Hrabal: Too Loud a Solitude
Week 10 Hrabal’s so-called autobiographical trilogy Assigned reading: Bohumil Hrabal: In-House Weddings Recommended readings: Bohumil Hrabal: Vita Nuova: A Novel Bohumil Hrabal: Gaps: A Novel
Week 11 From the tributes: Péter Esterházy Assigned reading: Péter Esterházy: The Book of Hrabal
Week 12 From the tributes: Paweł Huelle / Course conclusion Assigned reading: Paweł Huelle: Mercedes-Benz: from Letters to Hrabal
Last update: Malá Lucie, Mgr. (18.09.2020)
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