Staging the Absolute: Ritual in Russia's Modern Era

In the 20th century, Russian and Soviet culture was defined by a persistent desire to interrupt or disrupt history, which was realized in the Stalinist show trials of the 1930s. Thomas Seifrid's book explores Soviet festivals, public displays of agitational propaganda, urban planning, and modernist precursors such as fin-de-siècle and early twentieth-century projects for reviving the theatre, puppet theatre, the Faust legend, and the nineteenth-century panorama. It reveals that these phenomena share a common impatience with history and a desire to appropriate urban space.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 11 October 2023
Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Staging the Absolute delves into the intricate tapestry of practices and beliefs that shaped a fundamental aspect of Russian and Soviet culture in the twentieth century: the unwavering aspiration to intervene – or disrupt – history. By drawing upon diverse sources that elucidate the essence of public rituals, the book unveils the pervasive presence of an impulse to impede history throughout Russia's modern era, culminating in the Stalinist show trials of the 1930s. Thomas Seifrid conducts a comprehensive analysis of Soviet festivals, public displays of agitational propaganda, urban planning, and modernist precursors such as fin-de-siècle and early twentieth-century projects for reviving the theatre, modernist adaptations of puppet theatre, the Faust legend, and its popularity in early twentieth-century Russia. Through this multidisciplinary approach, the book reveals a profound interconnectedness among these seemingly disparate phenomena, driven by a shared impatience with history and a corresponding longing to reclaim urban space. By delving into the deeper meanings embedded within these revived archaic forms, Staging the Absolute illuminates the pervasive interest in disrupting history during the Russian modern era.

Weight: 510g
Dimension: 235 x 159 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781487551803