Brilliant Minds

For the Master and Margarita

Begin with this web resource for Bulgakov's Master and Margarita.

Also consider the entry at the European Reading Room at the Library of Congress.

An article with background questions from Swarthmore.

When a film adaptation premiered in 2005, The Guardian published this article.

NYU Catalog entry for 2009

The new catalog listing for Brilliant Minds at NYU is out for Spring 2009. The new schedule and reading list is online at the SCPS site. I'll be posting further information on editions to follow.

On Joyce and Dubliners

Though I've recommended that you read through Dubliners completely and sequentially, be sure not to miss reading "Araby" and "The Dead".

A key concept we will be discussing is the Joycean "epiphany." Here is the definition of epiphany as Joyce wrote it into this excerpt from Stephen Hero: Joyce's definition.

I've also had the good fortune to study with Prof. A. Nicholas Fargnoli, President of The James Joyce Society, and one of the finest of Joyce scholars. Here are links to two of his most resourceful books on Joyce:

     

You might also be interesting in exploring the James Joyce Centre in Dublin, and the World Wide Dubliners site, which includes an introductory essay by Wallace Gray.

For you film buffs: John Huston's film version of The Dead was released in 1987, featuring his daughter, Anjelica. The DVD version is out of print and is Region 2 encoded. But used copies are still available in VHS: The Dead.

Resources for The Birth of Tragedy

Nietzsche is a challenging figure to place in context. As we read his work The Birth of Tragedy, consider these additional resources:

Paul Brians' web page: The Influence of Nietzsche.
Solomon and Higgins' book:  What Nietzsche Really Said.

An excellent web site on Ancient Theatre: Didaskalia.

Apollo & Dionysus

Clipart courtesy of FCIT