Charles University in Prague – Faculty of Arts
Prague, Czech Republic
COURSE SYLLABUS
Czech Literature In and Out
(Offered for ECES, Erasmus/Socrates and other international students in programs
affiliated with Charles University)
Poetry and Prose of Prague
Full Semester Course
Instructor: Clarice Cloutier, Ph.D. (cloutier@volny.cz)
Textbooks:
All course materials will be provided.
Description:
This short course will provide an overview of Czech 19th and 20th Century poetry and prose
about Prague in English translation. Students will gain an understanding of Prague’s literary
topography via themes which are central to the city. This course will include the work of
various poets and prose writers, each expressing their unique vision and style. All classes will
be conducted in English.
Assessment:
Class participation, in-class presentation and final paper
Outline:
Week 1: - Introduction to Prague through its poetry and prose
Prague timeline
Kosmas - excerpts from The Bohemian Chronicle
Dalimil - excerpts from The Chronicle of the So-Called Dalimil
Jirásek – selections from Old Czech Legends
Vrchlický – “O Prague”
Havel – “The Brno Complex”
Nezval – excerpt from “City of Spires”
Nezval – excerpt from “The Batavian Tear”
Week 2: - City of Inspiring Intoxication
Halas – “To Prague”
Nezval – “Panorama of Prague”
Nezval – “Prague in the Mid-Day Sun”
Nezval – “Strangers’ Faces”
Nezval – excerpts from “Edison”
Hodrová – “I See a Great City…”
Week 3: - City of Love
Nezval – “Night of Acacias”
Seifert – “To Prague”
Seifert – “The Wallenstein Garden”
Seifert – “Fingerprints”
Nezval – “Lilac”
Havel – “HRAD?”
Seifert – Wreath of Sonnets
Week 4: - City of Mystery
Hrubín – “The City in the Full Moon”
Hašek – “A Psychiatric Mystery”
Čapek – “The Receipt”
Topol – “A Visit to the Train Station”
Week 5: - City of Impressions
Seifert – “View from Charles Bridge”
Langer – “The Sword of St. Wenceslas”
Seifert – “Our Lady of Žižkov”
Karásek ze Lvovic – “Bells”
Seifert – “St. George’s Basilica”
Havel – “Kavárna Slavie”
Week 6: - City of Remembrance
Seifert – “Prague”
Holan “The Old Priest”
Seifert – excerpt from “The Plague Monument”
Holub – “The Prague of Jan Palach”
Seifert – “Four Small Windows”
Seifert – “At the Tomb of the Czech Kings”
Week 7: - City of the Jews
Holub – “The Jewish Cemetery at Olšany, Kakfa’s Grave, April, Sunny
Weather”
Simko – “The Jewish Cemetery in Prague”
Meyrink – excerpt from The Golem
Pavel – “A Race Through Prague”
Week 8: - City of Horror
Weil – “Mendelssohn Is on the Roof”
Diviš – “Invasion Day”
Hanzlík – excerpt from “The Lamp”
Week 9: - City of the Everyday
Hrabal – “The World Cafeteria”
Reiner – “The Answer”
Neruda - selections from Tales of Malá strana and other Neruda stories
Week 10: - City of Today
Ajvaz – “The Bird”
Škvorecký – “Tenor Sax Solo from Washington”
Pecka – “The Little Bulldog”
Klíma – “The Spirit of Prague”
Osers – selections from his book Golden City