Course: Power Discourse in Modern Novel

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Course title Power Discourse in Modern Novel
Course code KGER/MODI
Organizational form of instruction Seminary
Level of course Bachelor
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 4
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Cornejo Renata, prof. Mgr. Ph.D.
Course content
1. Franz Kafka, German author from Prague 2. Analysis of the novel "Der Prozess" in terms of functionality and projection of power structures 3. The essay "Der Prozess: Schuld und Integration" and "Genese eines wahnfaten Systems" by Libuše Moníková 4. Analysis of the novel "Das Schloss" from the perspective of functionality and projection of power structures 5. The essay "Das Schloss als Diskurs. Die Entstehung der Macht aus Projektionen" by Libuše Moníková 6. Essay "Die Macht der Mächtigen oder Die Macht der Machtlosen?" (Gruša/Havel) and its relation to the novels analysed 7. The novel "Die Fassade" and its intertextual relations to Kafka's novels 8. The symbol of the façade as a projection of power and the totalitarian power apparatus 9. Libuše Moníková's relation to Franz Kafka's work (Rede zur Verleihung des Kafka-Preises 1989) on the example of the novel "Pavane für eine verstorbene Infantin" 10. Essay "Wievile Engagement verträgt die Kunst" and other selected texts by Jan Faktor 11. The novel "Schornstein" - the struggle of the sick against (in)power? 12. The novel "Schornstein" and its intertextual relations to Kafka's novel "Das Schloss" 13. Comparison of the two novels (Die Fassade, Schornstein) from an intertextual point of view 14. Final discussion of the essay "Mit vereintent Kräften? Der Machtanspruch der Literatur"

Learning activities and teaching methods
unspecified, unspecified, unspecified
Learning outcomes
The aim of the seminar is to analyse and critically reflect on the question of "power", "powerlessness" and its overcoming on the basis of literary concepts of selected authors of the 20th and 21st centuries. The object of the research is the discourse of power in the novels "Das Schloss" and "Der Prozess" by Franz Kafka as a reference text to other literary works - namely the novel "Die Fassade" by Libuše Moníková (1987) and the novel "Schornstein" (2006) by Jan Faktor. Both texts thematize the emergence of power and the bureaucratic apparatus, against whose arbitrary will man as an individual is "powerless", but nevertheless develops subversive strategies to overcome it. Selected essays by Libuše Moníková, Jiří Gruša and Václav Havel serve as a theoretical introduction to the issue and a stimulus for discussion.
The student is familiar with basic texts reflecting the artist's relationship to power, is able to anchor issues in the context of the time and discuss subversive concepts of specific literary works.
Prerequisites
none

Assessment methods and criteria
unspecified
Active participation in seminars, consisting in the analysis and interpretation of works of primary literature, the reading of which is part of the home preparation for seminars, a written seminar paper or an oral colloquium
Recommended literature
  • Faktor, J. Schornstein.. Köln, 2006.
  • Gruša, J., Havel, V. Die Macht der Mächtigen oder Die Macht der Machtlosen?.
  • Gruša, J.. Mit vereinten Kräften? Der Machtanspruch der Literatur. Wien, 2006.
  • Kafka, F. Das Prozess. Mitterfels, 2010.
  • Kafka, F. Das Schloss. Köln, 2007.
  • Moníková, L. Die Fassade. München, 1997.
  • Moníková, L. Schloss, Aleph, Wunschtorte Esaays. München, 1990.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester