The course provides an in-depth understanding of nihilism and how it has been addressed in literature and philosophy from 1860 to 1960. Nihilism is studied here as a concept that names a set of problems emerging alongside modernity, becoming particularly prominent in literature with the rise of modernism. Special focus is given to the understanding of nihilism within Russian, German, and French literature and philosophy, but the course also covers other authorships with connections to nihilism.

The purpose of the course is to explore the connections and influences between the various thematizations of nihilism in literature and philosophy within their historical contexts. The course also examines how nihilism may be of more general interest to literary studies at the intersection of literature and philosophy, opening perspectives on how literature engages with philosophical questions, and conversely, how philosophy can methodologically approach literature.