Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures

SLA199H. Invisible Kingdom, Imaginary Space. Imaginary Galicia. Fall 2023

Class meets on Tuesdays from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM in Northrop Frye 006.

Assignment 1 is due at the beginning of class October 3, 2023.

You must write a brief essay of about 600 words, less than two pages. Essays should be formatted with 1 inch margins, double spacing, and 12 point type.
You don't need an extra page for your name and the title or another extra page for references to works cited (If you cite the novel, you need to indicate a reference). Write clearly. Choose the right words, shape your ideas into meaningful sentences, and structure your argument into cohesive paragraphs. Make sure you say EXACTLY what you mean, not something almost similar to what you thought you might want to say. Be brief and get to your point directly, without lengthy introductions or digressions. Express your insights. Demonstrate that you have given some consideration to the ideas you are expressing and that you understand how these ideas relate to other ways of looking at the topic.

The specific assignment is this:
What is the significance of the upland pasture in Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, which we are reading for class on Oct. 3. What symbolism does the author associate with this location? What are Ivan's experiences there? How is he affected?

Your essay will be judged for the quality of writing and for the depth of your analysis (did you pursue your own ideas to their ultimate significance?). Your essays are not being judged on the thoroughness of your research. Your essay is not being judged by what you know about Galicia or Hutsuls. Express your OWN understanding of the scene in the novel and how the author conveys a particular sense of the scene for the reader. Make sure that any ideas that are not your own are credited to their actual source. You don't need anyone else's ideas, but if you use them, cite them.