Topics in the Avant-Garde in Literature and Cinema
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this literature and cinema seminar examining the terms avant garde and Kulturindustrie in early twentieth century French and German culture. The course traces the origins of these concepts in surrealist and dadaist writing, art, and film, then widens to parallel movements across Europe, including the former Soviet Union. Readings and discussion address what made the historical avant-garde original, its imagined connections between art and revolution, and its stance toward the culture industry, drawing on poetry, painting, sculpture, photography, film, and music alongside critical theory. Figures studied include Adorno, Breton, Duchamp, Eisenstein, Kandinsky, Malevich, Mayakovsky, and Tzara. Taught in English, with encouragement to consult original-language sources. Materials include the full syllabus and reading list published by MIT OpenCourseWare, free to access with no certificate offered.