Course: Literary Aesthetics

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Course title Literary Aesthetics
Course code KBH/LITES
Organizational form of instruction Seminar
Level of course Bachelor
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 4
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Hrabal Jiří, Mgr. Ph.D.
  • Smutný Vojtěch, Mgr.
Course content
Seminar topics: 1. The subject of literary aesthetics; what is a work of art? 2. The role of theory in aesthetics: aesthetic concepts, judgements, and definitions 3. Aesthetic perception; aesthetic distance 4. Aesthetic function; the function of art 5. Aesthetic value; the timelessness of a work of art 6. Kitsch 7. Popular literature vs. artistic literature 8. Aesthetic norms and conventions 9. Innovation and development in art; the end of art 10. Authenticity as an aesthetic phenomenon in artistic literature 11. The aesthetic effects of fiction 12. The status and role of aesthetics in contemporary thinking about literature

Learning activities and teaching methods
Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming)
Learning outcomes
This course explores the fundamental categories of literary aesthetics. The seminar is based on a combination of theoretical study and practical analytical self-reflection. Each session consists of a critical discussion centered on assigned theoretical studies addressing a selected topic, alongside a discussion of short case analyses prepared by the students themselves. The guided discussion directly aims to define the selected category of aesthetic thought, examining its historical transformations, theoretical boundaries, and practical functionality when analyzing literary texts
Understanding the basic aesthetic categories.
Prerequisites
Interest in the subject, general knowledge of the theory of literature.

Assessment methods and criteria
Oral exam, Essay, Systematic Observation of Student

1) active participation in seminar discussions, 2) writing essays on the topics assigned for each seminar (2-3 standard pages) or an oral commentary on a study (15 min), 3) reading the assigned studies for each seminar The final exam takes the form of an oral defense of a research paper (approx. 10 standard pages in length) that elaborates on one of the seminar topics (including a footnote/citation apparatus).
Recommended literature
  • ECO, U. (1995). Skeptikové a těšitelé. Praha.
  • Kulka, T.- Ciporanov, D. (ed.). (2010). Co je umění? Texty angloamerické estetiky 20. století. Červený Kostelec.
  • KULKA, Tomáš. (2000). Umění a kýč. Praha.
  • Zahrádka, Pavel. (2009). Vysoké versus populární umění. . Olomouc.
  • Zima, P.V. (1998). Literární estetika. Olomouc.
  • Zuska, Vlastimil (ed.). (2003). Umění, krása, šeredno. Texty z estetiky 20. století. Praha.
  • Zuska, Vlastimil. (2001). Estetika, úvod do současnosti tradiční disciplíny. Praha.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Czech Philology (2025) Category: Philological sciences 2 Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: Summer
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Czech Philology (2019) Category: Philological sciences 2 Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: Summer