Persisting in Folly

Russian Writers in Search of Wisdom, 19632013

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, French, British, American
Cover of the book Persisting in Folly by Oliver Ready, Peter Lang
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Oliver Ready ISBN: 9781787074019
Publisher: Peter Lang Publication: March 14, 2017
Imprint: Peter Lang Ltd, International Academic Publishers Language: English
Author: Oliver Ready
ISBN: 9781787074019
Publisher: Peter Lang
Publication: March 14, 2017
Imprint: Peter Lang Ltd, International Academic Publishers
Language: English

The theme of foolishness has long occupied an unusually prominent place in Russian culture, touching on key questions of national, spiritual, and intellectual identity. In literature, the figure of the fool – and the voice of the fool – has carried additional appeal as an enduring source of comic and stylistic innovation. Never has this appeal been stronger than in the past half-century, whether as a reaction to the «scientific atheism» and official culture of the late-socialist era, or as a response to the intellectual and moral disorientation that accompanied the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Persisting in Folly traces three contrasting phases within this period: the «praise of folly» that underpins acknowledged samizdat masterpieces by Venedikt Erofeev, Yuz Aleshkovsky, and Sasha Sokolov; the sceptical appraisals of the Russian cult of the fool offered in the 1980s by Viktor Erofeev and Dmitry Galkovsky; and the legacy of this conflicted tradition in post-Soviet prose. By combining close readings with a rich comparative and contextual framework, this book charts a new path through recent Russian literature and offers a wide-ranging consideration of the causes and consequences of Russian writers’ enduring quest for wisdom through folly.

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

The theme of foolishness has long occupied an unusually prominent place in Russian culture, touching on key questions of national, spiritual, and intellectual identity. In literature, the figure of the fool – and the voice of the fool – has carried additional appeal as an enduring source of comic and stylistic innovation. Never has this appeal been stronger than in the past half-century, whether as a reaction to the «scientific atheism» and official culture of the late-socialist era, or as a response to the intellectual and moral disorientation that accompanied the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Persisting in Folly traces three contrasting phases within this period: the «praise of folly» that underpins acknowledged samizdat masterpieces by Venedikt Erofeev, Yuz Aleshkovsky, and Sasha Sokolov; the sceptical appraisals of the Russian cult of the fool offered in the 1980s by Viktor Erofeev and Dmitry Galkovsky; and the legacy of this conflicted tradition in post-Soviet prose. By combining close readings with a rich comparative and contextual framework, this book charts a new path through recent Russian literature and offers a wide-ranging consideration of the causes and consequences of Russian writers’ enduring quest for wisdom through folly.

More books from Peter Lang

Cover of the book Boundless Salvation by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book Boko Haram au Cameroun by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book The Early Byzantine Christian Church by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book The Music of Chopin and the Rule of St Benedict by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book Nuevos enfoques sobre la novela corta barroca by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book Verfassungsrechtliche Aspekte des Ersten Gluecksspielaenderungsstaatsvertrags by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book The Presocratics in the Thought of Martin Heidegger by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book Literariness by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book Nouveaux regards sur la classification nominale dans les langues africaines by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book Sociologies of Formality and Informality by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book Manuel Mejía Vallejo by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book Child of Many Worlds: Focus on the Problem of Ethnic Minorities by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book Sémiotique du mouvement by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book Formularmaeßig abgeschlossene Garantievertraege beim Kfz-Kauf by Oliver Ready
Cover of the book Critical Multicultural Perspectives on Whiteness by Oliver Ready
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