Russian Drama and Theater: Performative

In this course, our goal is to provide students with a comprehensive overview of the rich tradition of Russian dramaturgy. We will embark on a journey that starts with court drama and ends with contemporary political plays. In addition to exploring literary works, we will explore theories related to theatricality and performativity. Our primary emphasis will be on tracing the evolution of dramatic genres and their significance within a broader cultural context. Through the lens of these dramatic genres, we will illuminate the developmental stages of key aesthetic systems in Russian culture, ranging from the Baroque, Classicism, Romanticism, the avant-garde, and modernism up to postmodernism and docudrama.

The course is designed primarily for graduate students in the Slavic field who are interested in Russian drama and theater (a subfield that we are rarely addressing).  It is designated GR6***, because few of these texts are available in translation, and reading the originals requires advanced knowledge of Russian.  The course will fulfill requirements for M.A. and M.Phil. degrees.  Advanced Russian undergraduate majors with native or near native knowledge of Russian will be allowed to take the course with the instructor's permission.