CLT 577: Milan Kundera and the Art of the European Novel
T/Th 11-12.15; AH 3130
Office:
Office Hours:
Arts & Letters #223
W 10–12 and by appointment
Office Phone:
Email:
594 8435
qbailey@mail.sdsu.edu
Course Description:
In The Art of the Novel the Czech-French writer Milan Kundera writes: ‘As God slowly departed from the seat
whence he had directed the universe and its order of values, distinguished good from evil, and endowed
each thing with meaning, Don Quixote set forth from his house into a world he could no longer recognize. In
the absence of the Supreme Judge, the world suddenly appeared in its fearsome ambiguity; the single divine
Truth decomposed into myriad relative truth parceled out by men. Thus was born the world of the Modern
Era, and with it the novel, the image and model of that world’. In this class we will look at how Kundera’s
own novels explore these myriad relative truths – about sex, love, politics, art – of the Modern Age.
Kundera’s delight in ambiguity, his detestation of kitsch, and his appreciation of the history of the European
novel will be explored in relation to some of his most important novels as well as in some of his critical
essays. We will also look at a couple of early works and Slowness, the first of his fictional works written in
French rather than his native Czech. We, however, will be reading all of them in English.
Assessment: All written work will be submitted via turnitin.com and as a hard copy.
6 300-word discussion papers
1 presentation project (15 minutes)
1 research paper (approx. 2000 words)
Participation
30% (5% each)
25%
35%
10%
Set Texts: (all by Milan Kundera, published by Harper Perennial):
Novels: The Joke, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Immortality,
Slowness. Short stories: Laughable Loves. Essays: The Art of the Novel, Testaments Betrayed.
Accommodation: Students who need accommodation of their disabilities should contact me privately to
discuss specific accommodations for which they have received authorization. If you have a disability, but
have not contacted Student Disability Services at 619-594-6473 (Calpulli Centre, Suite 3101), please do so
before making an appointment to see me.
Plagiarism: Do not present other people’s work or ideas as your own. Always provide clear reference details
when you cite other people’s work. This includes not only directly cited work, but also paraphrases of other
people’s ideas. Remember: the skilful presentation of research improves a paper or exam; citing your
sources is part of this process.
Attendance & electronics: This class is centred on discussions of Kundera’s themes, his interactions with
central European history, and the novelistic forms he adopts. In addition, we will talk about the ways in
which his non-fictional works interact with his fictional ones. In short, attendance and participation are
crucial to your performance in this class. Furthermore, it’s hard to hold these conversations with the
distractions of laptops, etc. Please clear any use of electronics with me in advance.
Readings: Please remember that the syllabus is only an outline and may well be altered.
Week 1: 25 & 27 August
T: Introductory Matters
Th: ‘The Depreciated Legacy of Cervantes’, from The Art of the Novel
Week 2: 1 & 3 September
T: The Day Panurge No Longer Makes People Laugh’, from Testaments Betrayed; ‘Jerusalem Address’, from
The Art of the Novel
Th: ‘Eduard and God’, from Laughable Loves; ‘Somewhere Behind’ from The Art of the Novel
Week 3: 8 & 10 September
T: ‘Sixty-three Words’, from The Art of the Novel.
Th: ‘A Sentence’ from Testaments Betrayed; ‘Authors’ Note’, from The Joke.
Week 4: 15 & 17 September
T: The Joke;
Th: The Joke. 1st discussion paper due
Week 5: 22 & 24 September
T: The Joke
Th: ‘Nobody will Laugh’ and ‘The Golden Apple of Eternal Desire’ from Laughable Loves; ‘Paths in the Fog’,
from Testaments Betrayed.
Week 6: 29 September & 1 October
T: ‘The Hitchhiking Game’ from Laughable Loves;
Th: ‘Symposium’ and ‘Dr Havel after Twenty Years’ from Laughable Loves 2nd discussion paper due
Week 7: 6 & 8 October
T: John Updike, ‘The Most Original Book of the Season’; The Book of Laughter and Forgetting.
Th: The Book of Laughter and Forgetting. 3rd discussion paper due
Week 8: 13 & 15 October
T: The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
Th: The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Olga Carlisle, ‘A Talk with Milan Kundera’, 1985
Week 9: 20 & 22 October
T: The Unbearable Lightness of Being 4th discussion paper due
Th: The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Week 10: 27 & 29 October
T: Immortality.
Th: Immortality
Week 11: 3 & 5 November
T: Immortality. 5th discussion paper due
Th: Presentations:
Week 12: 10 & 12 November
T: Presentations:
Th: Presentations:
‘Research Paper’ due for all but today’s presenters.
Week 13: 17 & 19 November
T: Presentations:
‘Research Paper’ due for Thursday 12 November presenters.
Th: Presentations:
Week 14: 24 & 26 November
T: Presentations (if required):
Th: Thanksgiving
Week 15: 1 & 3 December
T: Slowness
Th: Slowness. 6th discussion paper due
Week 16: 8 & 10 December
T: Slowness
Th: Final class, revised research essays due.
Exam: Tuesday 15 December, 10.30–12.30