Abstract

The end of the Cold War brought new opportunities to explore the long tradition and myriad uses of humour through over two centuries of Russian literature and culture. 'Reflective Laughter' is the first book devoted to an overview of this subject. Bringing together contributions from a number of distinguished scholars from Russia, Europe and North America, this volume ranges from the classics of nineteenth-century literature through to the intellectual and popular comedic culture, both state-sponsored and official, of the twentieth-century, taking in journalism, propaganda, scholarly discourse, jokes, films and television. In doing so, it explores how our understanding remains distorted by the polarization of the East and West during the Cold War.

The end of the Cold War brought new opportunities to explore the long tradition and myriad uses of humour through over two centuries of Russian literature and culture. 'Reflective Laughter' is the first book devoted to an overview of this subject. Bringing together contributions from a number of distinguished scholars from Russia, Europe and North America, this volume ranges from the classics of nineteenth-century literature through to the intellectual and popular comedic culture, both state-sponsored and official, of the twentieth-century, taking in journalism, propaganda, scholarly discourse, jokes, films and television. In doing so, it explores how our understanding remains distorted by the polarization of the East and West during the Cold War.

This comprehensive and entertaining book will be of relevance to undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Russian and comparative literature and in cultural studies, as well as a broader audience.

Lesley Milne is Professor and Head of Department in the Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies, Nottingham University, UK.

'The diversity of the authors gives the book both representative breadth and a somewhat eclectic character.'  —Harley Balzer, Associate Professor of Government and International Affairs and Associate Faculty Member of the Department of History, Georgetown University

'Generally speaking, the only thing less funny than humour in translation is humour in translation as explained by a group of scholars. One should make an exception, however, for "Reflective Laughter"…a witty and informative overview [of] a broad and important topic.' —Justin Weir, Assistant Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University