Russian Grotesque Realism

Russian Grotesque Realism by Ani Kokobobo

Russian Grotesque Realism: The Great Reforms and the Gentry Decline offers a comprehensive reevaluation of the Russian realist novel and proposes that a composite style, grotesque realism, developed in response to social upheaval during the post-Reform era. In this compelling new study, Ani Kokobobo argues that if the realism of pre-Reform Russia could not depict socioeconomic change directly, the grotesque provided an indirect means for Russian writers to capture the instability of the times and the decline of the gentry. While realism historically represented the psychological depth of characters, the grotesque focused more on the body, materialism, and categorical confusions in order to depict characters whose humanity had eroded.

With original readings of some of Russian realism's greatest novels, Anna Karenina, Demons, and Brothers Karamazov, as well as lesser known novels like The Family Golovlev, The Precipice, Resurrection, and Cathedral Folk, Russian Grotesque Realism traces the transformation of gentry representation from spiritual strivers and thinkers to more materialist beings. By the end of the nineteenth century, the gentry, originally seen as society's preservers, were represented as grotesque, reflecting a broader societal breakdown that would eventually precipitate the end of the novel genre itself.

Ani Kokobobo is Assistant Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Kansas.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780814254684
ISBN 10	0814254683
Title	Russian Grotesque Realism
Author	Ani Kokobobo
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Ohio State University Press
Year published	2018-02-23
Number of pages	186
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.