State Laughter: Stalinism, Populism, and Origins of Soviet Culture

Dobrenko, E. and Jonsson-Skradol, N. (2022) State Laughter: Stalinism, Populism, and Origins of Soviet Culture. Oxford University Press: Oxford. ISBN 9780198840411 (doi: 10.1093/oso/9780198840411.001.0001)

Abstract

The Stalinist reign of terror was not all gloom and darkness. Much of it was, or aimed to be, entertaining, full of laughter and joy. This book explores how, and why, humor was a necessary component of one of the most oppressive regimes of the twentieth century. It covers a variety of genres, from film comedy to satirical theatre, from war caricature to court speeches at show trials, from Stalin’s political writings to traditionally bawdy folk verses and fables. The authors combine close textual analysis with reflections on genres of the comic in general. The book offers the first comprehensive analysis of state-sponsored humoristic genres of popular culture in Stalin’s Soviet Union. Tracing the development of genres associated with official humor, satire, and comedy of the Stalin era from the late 1920s to the early 1950s, the authors argue against the conventional view that humor was a feature mostly of subversive texts of the time. According to the authors, satire and popular humor were a foundational element instilling state ideology and legitimizing Stalinist culture. The book is grounded in Soviet intellectual and cultural history and, more generally, in literary theories of laughter and the comic. The authors introduce, and demonstrate possible applications for, a number of innovative concepts.

• Item Type: Books
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Jonsson-Skradol, Dr Natalia
• Authors: Dobrenko, E., and Jonsson-Skradol, N.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• ISBN: 9780198840411

Related URLs

• University of Glasgow Library Catalogue