Syllabus
Syllabus: Theological Dimensions of Czech Cultural Expressions, 2014
Each Friday from 11 to 12:30 in Room S-2 at the Protestant Theological Faculty
Office Hours: 11:00-12:30 on Wednesday or by appointment in Room 315
Dr. Joyce (Mauler).Michael, jmauler@volny.cz
The course will explore ways in which central existential concerns and theological themes of the Judeo-Christian tradition and other world religions manifest themselves in selected Czech literary, musical, and cinematic works that are not primarily ‘religious’ or explicitly ‘theological.’ Exploratory lectures and extensive class discussions of The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, the movie Pupendo, and musical compositions by Bohuslav Martinů and a variety of jazz composers will constitute the core of the course. Students will also have an opportunity to select and present pertinent works of Czech art to enhance the seminar’s exploration of the manner in which biblical and theological themes remain an integral, if often hidden, part of the Czech cultural milieu. Thus, the subtle role that theological themes may play in the lives of the inhabitants of ‘secular’ and ‘post-secular’ societies may begin to be identified.
Most of the sessions of the seminar will consist of these components: 1) an exploratory lecture by the instructor 2) a consideration of a composition by Bohuslav Martinů or a Czech jazz musician 3) discussion of passages from Milan Kundera’s novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being; a clip from Pupendo; and/or a piece of Czech art chosen by class participants. 4) attention to a participant’s reflections on a prominent lecture or discussion theme.
Course Requirements (These are described in detail on a separate piece of paper.) 1) Preparation for, attendance at, and participation in every class session. 2) Regular written reflections on significant themes from the lectures or discussions. 3) Careful reading of The Unbearable Lightness of Being and preparation of a list of citations that strike you as being especially noteworthy. Due 21 MARCH. 4) Presentation regarding a scene from Pupendo. Dates to be chosen by participants. 5) Final exam "event"
Course Outline: Representative citations identify key themes that will be the focus of specific sessions. However, these sketches are not exhaustive, and specific details are subject to change.
The first four sessions will provide a theoretical backdrop for examining specific cultural texts. 21 February: The course’s theological context will be identified in reference to Petr Hruška’s observation that "real grace and gracefulness appear only where all of the gloominess, depression, and weariness of life, all of the ‘loneliness of relationship’ are somehow present as well. Only in the midst of that can a thin thread of light shine." In addition, course procedures and requirements will be summarized, and the practice of reading cultural texts through ‘intentional immersion’ will be introduced by reflecting on a passage from Kundera and a composition by Martinů. 28 February: "The tendency of all great literature is to take the known, empirically given in experience, and to…‘push it into the dimension of the unknown.’" This conclusion will lead to a consideration of what religious and existential readings of novels and other literary genres may entail. J. Hillis Miller’s suggestion that readers ought to engage in "the patient work of following some thread as far - as deep - into the labyrinth of the text as it will go" will be explored in terms of Kundera’s observation that "the river flows from century to century, and human affairs play themselves out on its banks. Play themselves out… while the river flows on" (164). Musical rhythm and movement will also be stressed. 7 March: The ‘otherness’ and autonomy of music will be explored in terms of Eduard Hanslick’s assertion that "the beautiful [in music] strictly speaking, aims at nothing, since it is nothing but a form which, though available for many purposes according to its nature, has as such, no aim beyond itself." Consequential ideas about reflecting musically will be illustrated by the counterpoint of Martinů’s madrigals and/or the improvisation of jazz. 14 March: Kundera and Martinů’s life settings will be presented in terms of the themes of
• Quest/Struggle: "The artist is always searching for the meaning of life, of his own and that of humankind, i.e., searching for truth. A system of uncertainty has entered our daily life. The pressures of mechanism and uniformity to which it is subject call for protest and the artist has only one means of expressing this - by music." (We will listen to the Andantino movement from a Bergerette by Martinů.)
• Exile/Oppression: "My stay in France is final, and therefore, I am not an émigré…. Nor do I feel uprooted. For a thousand years, Czechoslovakia was a part of the West. Today, it is a part of the empire to the east. I would feel a great deal more uprooted in Prague than in Paris." (We will reflect on pages 222-3 of Kundera’s novel.)
At this point, we will begin to immerse ourselves in Czech cultural texts. 21: March: The first half of Pupendo will be shown, following a mini-lecture concerning art forms such as film that draw heavily upon visual forms. The starting point for this lecture will be
Peter Kivy’s contention that since sight is "paramount in our survival..., we are compelled to place ‘realistic’ or ‘representational’ interpretations on visual perceptions." This tendency will be revisioned in terms of Kundera’s reference to "an idyllic still-life of apples, nuts, and tiny, candle-lit Christmas tree, showing a hand ripping through the canvas" (60). 28 March: The second half of Pupendo will be shown, following a mini-lecture on watching movies, which will start from the novel’s report that "Franz realized that all his life he had done nothing but talk, write, lecture, concoct sentences, search for formulations and amend them..., and what he yearned for ... was a pleasant and happy, all-encompassing, window-rattling din to engulf once and for all the pain, the futility, the vanity of words" (Kundera, 90).
Focus on The Unbearable Lightness of Being begins. 4 April: Direct references to God, biblical texts, and theological themes: "Tereza reminded him of no one in his former life. She was neither mistress of wife. She was a child whom he had taken from a bulrush basket that had been daubed with pitch and sent to the riverbank of his bed" (6). Kundera‘s references to the baby abandoned in the bulrushes and the act of being delivered up will be examined, and the play of high and low musical voices will be emphasized. 11 April: Philosophical features of the novel, 1: "If every second of our lives recurs an infinite number of times, we are nailed to eternity as Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross. It is a terrifying prospect. In the world of eternal recurrence, the weight of unbearable responsibility lies heavy on every move we make" (4). Reflections on Nietzsche’s ‘doctrine of the eternal recurrence of the same’ will serve as a backdrop for examining Kundera’s references to this construct and his use of recurring images. Recurring musical themes will also be ‘entertained.’ 2 May: The novel’s portrayal of communism’s impact on society: "Sabina’s initial inner revolt against communism was aesthetic rather than ethical in character. What repelled her was not nearly so much the ugliness of the communist world ..., as the mask of beauty it tried to wear" (242-3). Attention will be given to ‘liturgical manifestations’ of communism and the impact of the element of duplicity that totalitarianism introduced into individuals’ lives. Compositions characterized by a blend of dissonance and harmony will also be examined. 9 May: Philosophical Feature 2/Existential Theme 1: ‘Es muss sein’ (Tomáš): "Unlike Parmenides, Beethoven apparently viewed weight as something positive. ... ‘Es muss sein:’ necessity, weight, and value are three concepts inextricably bound; only necessity is heavy, and only what is heavy has value" (31). Following a description of Kundera’s treatment of Parmenides and Beethoven, es muss sein will be examined in terms of Tomáš’ vocational and sexual passions. The theological aspect of his quest for ‘the other’ will be considered, and instances of resolution that may follow the breaking of conventional musical syntax will be highlighted. 16 May: Existential Theme, 2: Body, Soul, and Liberation (Tereza): "Tereza wanted to keep only what was hers alone. Each time she succeeded..., her soul would rise to the surface of her body like a crew charging up from the bowels of a ship, spreading out over the deck, waving at the sky and singing in jubilation" (39). A brief discussion of Christianity’s ambivalent stance toward the relation of body and soul will be followed by a consideration of scenes in which Tereza experiences strong tensions between these aspects of herself, as well as and instances of liberation. The contrast between heavy and light sounds will be noted. 23 May: Existential Theme, 3: Exile/Death (Franz and Sabina): "Sabina knew she would leave Paris, move on, and on again, because were she to die here they would cover her up with a stone, and in the mind of a woman for whom no place is home the thought of an end to all flight is unbearable" (121). The biblical reference to being "a stranger in a strange land" (see Ex 2:22) will provide a backdrop for reflecting on the instances of exile that are evident in Franz and Sabina’s life journeys. The Adagio movement of Martinů’s Fifth Symphony, which was written while he was in exile
Annotation
Theological Dimensions of Czech Cultural Expressions: Novel, Music, and Film
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This course will explore ways in which central existential concerns and theological themes of the Judeo-Christian tradition and of some other world religions manifest themselves in specific Czech literary, musical, and cinematic works that are not primarily ‘religious’ or explicitly (intentionally) ‘theological.’ Exploratory lectures and extensive class discussions of The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, the award-winning movie Pupendo, and musical compositions by Bohuslav Martinů and a variety of jazz composers will constitute the core of the course. Students will also have an opportunity to select and present pertinent works of Czech art to deepen our considerations of the manner in which biblical and theological themes remain an integral, if often hidden, part of the Czech cultural milieu. Thus, the subtle role that theological themes may play in the lives of the inhabitants of
‘secular’ and ‘post-secular’ societies may begin to be identified.