Imitations of Life

Two Centuries of Melodrama in Russia

Fiction & Literature, Drama, Continental European, Nonfiction, Entertainment, History, Asian, Russia
Cover of the book Imitations of Life by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Richard Stites, Julie Buckler ISBN: 9780822380573
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: March 29, 2002
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
ISBN: 9780822380573
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: March 29, 2002
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

Imitations of Life views Russian melodrama from the eighteenth century to today as an unexpectedly hospitable forum for considering social issues. The contributors follow the evolution of the genre through a variety of cultural practices and changing political scenarios. They argue that Russian audiences have found a particular type of comfort in this mode of entertainment that invites them to respond emotionally rather than politically to social turmoil.
Drawing on a wide variety of sources, including plays, lachrymose novels, popular movies, and even highly publicized funerals and political trials, the essays in Imitations of Life argue that melodrama has consistently offered models of behavior for times of transition, and that contemporary televised versions of melodrama continue to help Russians cope with national events that they understand implicitly but are not yet able to articulate. In contrast to previous studies, this collection argues for a reading that takes into account the subtle but pointed challenges to national politics and to gender and class hierarchies made in melodramatic works from both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Collectively, the contributors shift and cross borders, illustrating how the cultural dismissal of melodrama as fundamentally escapist and targeted primarily at the politically disenfranchised has subverted the drama’s own intrinsically subversive virtues.
Imitations of Life will interest students and scholars of contemporary Russia, and Russian history, literature, and theater.

Contributors. Otto Boele, Julie Buckler, Julie Cassiday, Susan Costanzo, Helena Goscilo, Beth Holmgren, Lars Lih, Louise McReynolds, Joan Neuberger, Alexander Prokhorov, Richard Stites

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Imitations of Life views Russian melodrama from the eighteenth century to today as an unexpectedly hospitable forum for considering social issues. The contributors follow the evolution of the genre through a variety of cultural practices and changing political scenarios. They argue that Russian audiences have found a particular type of comfort in this mode of entertainment that invites them to respond emotionally rather than politically to social turmoil.
Drawing on a wide variety of sources, including plays, lachrymose novels, popular movies, and even highly publicized funerals and political trials, the essays in Imitations of Life argue that melodrama has consistently offered models of behavior for times of transition, and that contemporary televised versions of melodrama continue to help Russians cope with national events that they understand implicitly but are not yet able to articulate. In contrast to previous studies, this collection argues for a reading that takes into account the subtle but pointed challenges to national politics and to gender and class hierarchies made in melodramatic works from both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Collectively, the contributors shift and cross borders, illustrating how the cultural dismissal of melodrama as fundamentally escapist and targeted primarily at the politically disenfranchised has subverted the drama’s own intrinsically subversive virtues.
Imitations of Life will interest students and scholars of contemporary Russia, and Russian history, literature, and theater.

Contributors. Otto Boele, Julie Buckler, Julie Cassiday, Susan Costanzo, Helena Goscilo, Beth Holmgren, Lars Lih, Louise McReynolds, Joan Neuberger, Alexander Prokhorov, Richard Stites

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book Kannani and Document of Flames by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book Art and Social Movements by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book Anthropological Intelligence by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book Questions of Travel by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book A Coincidence of Desires by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book Antinomies of Art and Culture by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book Clothing and Difference by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book Rural Revolt in Mexico by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book What Animals Teach Us about Politics by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book Ethnography as Commentary by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book Useful Cinema by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book The Space In-Between by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book Cultured States by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book My Life with Things by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
Cover of the book It's Been Beautiful by Richard Stites, Julie Buckler
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy