play of ideas in Russian Enlightenment theater, The

play of ideas in Russian Enlightenment theater, The

By Elise Kimerling Wirtschafter

Book Description

Through the lens of eighteenth-century Russian theater, this scholarly exploration reveals how enlightened minds grappled with profound questions of justice, equality, and social harmony within an authoritarian world. Historian Elise Kimerling Wirtschafter examines over 260 secular plays from this transformative period, uncovering how Russian dramatists used the stage as a forum for wrestling with society's deepest contradictions.

The book opens by tracing theater's emergence in eighteenth-century Russia, then delves into how playwrights addressed fundamental human concerns through their dramatic works. These theatrical pieces became vehicles for exploring the tension between Enlightenment ideals and political reality, examining questions that remain relevant today: What constitutes the common good? How should authority be exercised? What role does the individual play within larger social structures?

By analyzing how these dramatists portrayed patriarchal households, monarchical duty, and personal responsibility, Wirtschafter reconstructs the social consciousness of an era caught between old traditions and new philosophical currents. The plays serve as windows into how thoughtful Russians understood themselves and their place in a rapidly changing world.

For readers interested in how societies navigate moral complexity and social transformation, this work offers insights into the eternal human struggle to align ideals with reality, revealing how artistic expression can illuminate the path toward greater understanding of justice and community.

Who Is This For?

📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~8 hours)

📄 Length: 296 pages

What You'll Discover

  • ✓ Explore History
  • ✓ Explore Social justice in literature
  • ✓ Explore Russian drama, history and criticism
  • ✓ Explore Russian drama
  • ✓ Understand spiritual ethics
  • ✓ Explore Theater and society
  • ✓ Explore Intellectual life
  • ✓ Explore Theater

Topics Covered

History Social justice in literature Russian drama, history and criticism Russian drama Social ethics in literature Theater and society Intellectual life Theater Enlightenment History and criticism Theater, history

Related Books You Might Like

Cover of Way Of Improvement Leads Home Philip Vickers Fithian And The Rural Enlightenment In Early America, The

Way Of Improvement Leads Home Philip Vickers Fithian And The Rural Enlightenment In Early America, The

John Fea

2009 • 280p

In an era when personal transformation seemed both possible and necessary, one young man's journey reveals the timeless tension between ambition and belonging. Philip Vickers Fithian emerged from the grain fields of rural New Jersey with an unshakeab...
Cover of 'Religion' and the religions in the English Enlightenment

'Religion' and the religions in the English Enlightenment

Peter Harrison

1990 • 277p

How did our modern understanding of "religion" come to be? This scholarly exploration reveals the fascinating origins of concepts we now take for granted, tracing their emergence through the intellectual ferment of seventeenth and eighteenth-century...
Cover of Reconstructing literature in an ideological age

Reconstructing literature in an ideological age

Daniel E. Ritchie

1996 • 302p

In an era where literary scholarship increasingly views texts through ideological lenses, Daniel E. Ritchie presents a thought-provoking alternative that draws wisdom from an ancient source. This scholarly exploration invites readers to discover how...
Cover of Books and Readers in the Early Church

Books and Readers in the Early Church

Harry Y. Gamble

1995 • 337p

This illuminating exploration reveals how the written word shaped the foundation of Christian faith during its most formative centuries. Harry Y. Gamble takes readers on a captivating journey through the practical realities of how early Christian com...
Cover of Alterations of state

Alterations of state

Richard C. McCoy

2002 • 218p

During England's most turbulent centuries, when religious upheaval and political revolution reshaped the very foundations of society, profound questions about authority, power, and divine right emerged that continue to resonate today. Richard C. McCo...
Cover of For de tørster nemlig uophørligt efter de kristnes blod

For de tørster nemlig uophørligt efter de kristnes blod

Kurt Villads Jensen

2013 • 292p

This scholarly exploration delves into one of history's most complex spiritual encounters: the medieval Christian response to the rise of Islam. Drawing from twenty-five years of dedicated research, Kurt Villads Jensen illuminates how Christians grap...