At the turn of the twentieth century, Poland did not exist as an independent state on any political map of Europe; at the turn of the twenty-first, it is a major force in European culture and international relations. This course provides a survey of the important literary works that track the often stunning transformations of a country the historian Norman Davies has called "God's playground." At the same time, we will examine a range of interpretive methodologies, drawing on cultural and historical criticism, philosophy, and close reading, and using masterpieces of Polish literature as test subjects for the close development of our own critical perspectives. An important point of reference will be the experience of WWII and the Holocaust. Authors will include Nobel laureates Czeslaw Milosz and Wislawa Szymborska, Polish-Jewish writer and artist Bruno Schulz, conceptual novelist Witold Gombrowicz, and contemporary enfant terrible Dorota Maslowska.

Intended Audience:

While this course continues POLISH 325: Literature in English to 1890, it has no prerequisites. No knowledge of Polish is required. All readings and lectures will be conducted in English.