RUSS 402(S) Senior Seminar: Soviet Satire
Satire is a tricky genre. Satirists must remain politically, artistically, and socially viable while critiquing the political, artistic, and social formations which legitimize them. Is satire a real tool of change, wielding laughter as its weapon, or is it simply a way to let off steam, to channel dissatisfaction toward acceptable targets? How reliably can satire be wielded or channeled? Perhaps nowhere is the inherent tension of satire more taut than in Soviet satire; in fact, parts of the early Soviet literary establishment were so conflicted about satire's ambiguous power that they proposed eliminating satire completely, nervously claiming that satire "wasn't necessary" in the victorious Soviet state. The defenders of a particularly Soviet satire eventually won out, but -what was this satire? How did it survive the massive upheavals of subsequent Soviet history? This course will focus on the theory and practice of Soviet satire, beginning with an introduction to the pre-Revolutionary Russian satire which informed Soviet practices and attitudes. Readings will include classics of Soviet satirical drama, poetry, and prose, as well as contemporary theory and debates. All course readings will be in the original language. The seminar will be conducted entirely in Russian.
Format: seminar. Requirements: active class participation, frequent short writing assignments, class presentations, and a final research project, all in Russian.
Prerequisites: Russian 202 or permission of the instructor. No enrollment limit (expected: 3-5).
Hour: FISHER