Description
Book SynopsisIn Devastation and Laughter, Annie Gérin explores the use of satire in the visual arts, the circus, theatre, and cinema under Lenin and Stalin.
Trade Review"Gérin’s work is theoretically informed but not overburdened, her focus being cultural history and close reading of visual materials. It is in the selection and dissection of such print materials as posters and journals that Gérin truly excels." -- Tom Haxhi, Department of Slavic Languages, Columbia University * Canadian Slavonic Papers, vol 61 no 3 *
"Deploying both contemporary and historical theories of the comic, Gérin makes a persuasive case for the continuity of Russian humor culture through the centuries." -- Maya Vinokour, Department of Russian and Slavic Studies, New York University *
Slavic Review *
"Gérin reveals that the Bolsheviks understood theories of laughter and sought to shape it for their own purposes. Satire and its laughter, they believed, could destroy the old bourgeois attitudes needed to create new people." -- Stephen M. Norris, Department of History, Miami University *
American Historical Review *
"Gérin’s book, thoroughly researched, convincingly argued, and lavishly illustrated, sharpens the appetite for more discussions on satire and on caricature, as much from the early Soviet era as from the years of the Cold War and perestroika." -- Katarzyna Murawska-Muthesius, Birkbeck College, University of London *
H-SHERA *
"Gérin’s book tackles many interesting issues that can inspire future humour-related research across a variety of disciplines." -- Anastasiya Fiadotava, University of Tartu *
European Journal of Humour Research *
"Carefully documented, Gerin’s book provides a very precious contribution on Soviet visual humour." -- Ada Ackerman, THALIN/CNRS *
RACAR *
"A valuable resource for teachers of Russian culture and students interested in the Soviet arts." -- Olga Velikanova, University of North Texas *
Kritika *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Transliteration, Translations, Dates Acknowledgments Introduction: Devastation and Laughter 1: Anatoly Lunacharsky and the Power of Laughter 2: Soviet Satirical Print Culture, a Serious Affair 3: Laughter in the Ring, in the Street and on Stage: The Emergence of a "Satirical Scene" 4: Laughter on the Silver Screen: From Satire to Optimistic Comedy 5: The Strategies and Targets of Satire 6: The Rhetorics of Satire and Socialist Realism Conclusion Appendix: "On Laughter" (1931) Notes Bibliography Index
