Kirjandusõpe nõukogude koolis
LITERARY EDUCATION IN SOVIET SCHOOLS

Summary/Abstract: The article looks at changes in the literature curriculum throughout the Soviet occupation. It discusses the content of the curricula, the ideological context, as well as the proportion of the curriculum dedicated to literary education. Due to the sheer volume of the material available, the article limits itself to mapping out the topic: whether and how the ideological emphases evolved during different periods (Stalinism, the Khrushchev Thaw, the Era of Stagnation); the ratio of Russian (Soviet) to Estonian authors covered in the literary curriculum; the educational system paradoxes involved in literature as a school subject that allows for the expression of certain views. Three observations are drawn in conclusion. Firstly, in ideological and party-led education, literature lessons held a special place in Soviet schools. Literature – alongside history – was considered the most important subject for shaping the students’ views. Secondly, a remarkable portion of the curriculum was allotted to literary education conceived in this manner, to make sure that the mandated authors could be discussed in depth. Without doubt, this involved communist instruction – the intensity of which varied greatly depending on the head of school, the teachers and the decade at hand. However, Estonian literature, especially the literary classics, could still be covered extensively alongside the ideological instruction. Thirdly, literature lessons evolved into a sphere for the discussion of Estonian nationhood, owing to the fact that the accepted authors represented seminal texts, the examination of which made it possible to also talk about Estonian literary history. In the history of teaching and studying Estonian literature, the Soviet era was particularly notable for its emphasis on literary classics, which undeniably played a crucial role in the preservation of national identity. The article also notes that Estonian literature largely lost this role in general education schools after Estonia regained its independence.

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