The Firebird and the Fox: Russian Culture under Tsars and Bolsheviks
Cambridge University Press
Edition: New, 5/20/2021
EAN 9781108735872, ISBN10: 1108735878
Paperback, 366 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
Showcasing the genius of Russian literature, art, music, and dance over a century of turmoil, within the dynamic cultural ecosystem that shaped it, The Firebird and the Fox explores the shared traditions, mutual influences and enduring themes that recur in these art forms. The book uses two emblematic characters from Russian culture - the firebird, symbol of the transcendent power of art in defiance of circumstance and the efforts of censors to contain creativity; and the fox, usually female and representing wit, cleverness and the agency of artists and everyone who triumphs over adversity - to explore how Russian cultural life changed between 1850 and 1950. Jeffrey Brooks reveals how high culture drew on folk and popular genres, then in turn influenced an expanding commercial culture. Richly illustrated, The Firebird and the Fox assuredly and imaginatively navigates the complex terrain of this eventful century.
List of illustrations
Preface
Introduction
an age of genius
Part I. Emancipation of the Arts (1850–1889)
1. Freedom and the fool
2. Desire and rebellion
3. Artists and subjects
4. Anton Chekhov in his time
5. The writer as civic actor
Part II. Politics and the Arts (1890–1916)
6. After realism
art and authority
7. The performing arts
Diaghilev's Ballets Russes
8. Celebrity, humor, and the avant-garde
Part III. The Bolshevik Revolution and the Arts (1917–1950)
9. A new normal
10. Irony and power
11. An era of the fox
12. Goodness endures
Epilogue.