Practices of Autofiction

Faculty:

Larissa Muravieva

Fall 2025: September 1, 2025 – December 19, 2025

Schedule: Tue 16:10 – 19:10 CET | 10:10 AM – 1:10 PM EDT

Subject: LIT

Level: 300

Credits: 4 US / 8 ECTS

Max Enrollment: 22

Language of Instruction: Russian

Prerequisites:No

Autofiction is one of the most widespread—and at the same time most contested—literary phenomena of our time. Often defined as a hybrid genre that blends autobiographical fact with fictional invention, autofiction resists fixed definitions, constantly breaking literary conventions, experimenting with narrative strategies, and pushing the boundaries not only of genre, but of the verbal medium. Despite numerous attempts by theorists to establish clear genre criteria, autofiction remains an experimental space that resists categorization. One fruitful way to conceptualize this movement is to approach autofiction as a narrative practice concerned with representing sensitive, often vulnerable experience. In this course, we will examine autofictional works from the 1970s to the 2020s, including texts by Serge Doubrovsky, Hervé Guibert, Annie Ernaux, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Olivia Laing, Oksana Vasyakina, and others. Autofiction will be studied both historically and theoretically, with particular attention to its connection to trauma, the ethics of representing lived experience, and the dynamics of empathy in reading and critical reception. Special focus will be given to contemporary Russian-language autofiction—a genre that has gained prominence relatively recently. We will explore its development, thematic concerns, and cultural reception. The course will also include a series of guest sessions with contemporary writers.

Guidelines for the Statement of Purpose:
Craft a reflective statement of purpose explaining your interest in the Smolny Beyond Borders online course. The file should be saved with your name and course title as the filename and uploaded accordingly. Your statement’s clarity and substance will significantly influence our selection. Convey your motivations and aspirations for this course succinctly but thoroughly. Kindly write your statement in the course’s Language of Instruction.

Application Portal Instructions:
1) Use the Latin alphabet for all entries on the portal, including your name. If the Language of Instruction is Russian, you may use Cyrillic only within the Statement of Purpose file, and the title of the file should still be in English.
2) Refrain from using email addresses associated with Russian or Belarusian educational institutions.
3) While completing the “Required Information” section, ensure you fill in the “Province” field for your address.
4) Provide an address outside Russia or Belarus in both the “Required Information” and “Geographic Location Confirmation” sections of the “Online Course Application”. This ensures we can send your transcript.
5) You must press the “Sign” button twice during the application.
6) If you hold a bachelor’s degree, select “4th+” in the “Academic Year (online)” section.
7) Applicants either unaffiliated or affiliated with educational institutions in Russia and Belarus should list ‘Smolny Beyond Borders’ as their educational institution.
8) In the student ID section, enter ‘SBB’.
9) Consider drafting your motivation letter ahead of time. Save it as a separate file with this format: LastName_FirstName_CourseTitle for a smoother application process.