Matters of Life and Death: The Fiction of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky – Writing Intensive

What does it mean to live – and die – with purpose? Through the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Lev Tolstoy, two of the most influential writers of 19th-century Russia, this course explores themes of morality, freedom, faith, and the human condition while also situating the texts within their historical and intellectual contexts. Students engage in close reading and analytical discussion to understand how these seminal authors and texts interrogate life’s ultimate questions, and how they continue to shape literary and philosophical thought beyond their original Russian context. Recommended: Sophomore standing.