Overview

This is a study of popular theatre and its impact on post-reform and pre-Revolutionary Russia. After the emancipation of the serfs in 1861, educated Russians began to present plays as part of a crusade to """"civilise"""" the peasants. Relying on archival and published material virtually unknown outside Russia, this study looks at how playwrights criticised current Russian social and political realities, how various groups perceived their plays, and how the plays motivated viewers to change themselves or change their circumstances. The picture that emerges is of a potent civic art rooted in the traditions of the Greek polis, where it had first appeared influential in a way that eluded and challenged authoritarian control.

Full Product Details

9780810115507

Table of Contents

Reviews

Thurston s book not only illuminates an interesting aspectof imperial Russian cultural history; it can also be read as an introduction to popular theater under the Soviet regime. <i>Journal of Modern History </i>This is a passionate book from which scholars canlearn much about the histoiy of Russian theater, thepopular education movement, and the constitution ofRussian society in the last half century of the oldregime. <i>American Historical Review</i>

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Countries Available