Syllabus
Topics (introductory seminars):1) reflection of literature in newspapers and magazines, possibly on radio, television, on the Internet (developmental comparison); influence of social networks on reading, resp. reception of contemporary literature;2) literary festivals, book fairs (Book World, MAČ, PWF, Tabook, Autumn Book Fair, etc.), author readings;3) literary prizes in the Czech Republic (Magnesia Litera, State Prize for Literature, Jaroslav Seifert Prize, Jiří Orten Prize etc.);4) publishing house, book market in the Czech Republic;5) tendencies of contemporary Czech literature, especially prose, plus chapters from poetry, comics + literature for children and youth;6) Czech literature abroad: translations plus presentations at fairs, festivals. Reading titles (during the semester):Jaroslav Rudiš: Národní třída (2013), sub-theme comicsAlena Mornštajnová: Hana (2017), sub-theme literature and internetJáchym Topol: Sensitive Man/ Citlivý člověk (2017), topic of the prize, Anna Cima: Probudím se na Šibuji (2018)Patrik Ouředník: Europeana (2001), topic of translationKateřina Tučková: The Goddess of Žítkov (2012), subtopic bestsellerJiří H. Krchovský: Poems (1998), or Petr Hruška: Stepfather (2017), subtopic other types / genres of contemporary Czech literatureVojtěch Mašek, Džian Baban, Jiří Grus: In the Shadow of the Šumava Forest (2011), or Lucie Lomová: Wild Men (2011), sub-theme comics
Annotation
Learning outcomes of the course unit The aim of the course is to create students' habits of reflection of literary culture, ways of critical thinking about literature and the ability to reflect the functions and roles of literature in society. The basic term is the concept of literary life and the course will therefore focus on its various institutions, the relationship between literature and society and concepts such as conformal and nonconformist, literature and politics, literature and art, literature and social discourse.
If the basic field is literary life and the basic themes are topics determining its form, then the units of this field are phenomena that will also attract attention in individual seminars and their form and role in the creation of cultural life will be followed. The seminar is reactive, students actively work with literary periodicals, servers and databases, watch how literature works in the network of social and audiovisual media.
The seminar will also use the possibility of discussions with writers and author readings, which students will be tasked to attend during the semester and reflect them in writing. At the same time, the aim of the seminar is to raise students' interest in the lively subject of their study and prepare them for teaching the history of literature, which they will then be able to perceive as reflecting their already updated and critically evaluated experience with contemporary literature and its forms.