 | The Dramatic Works of Catherine the Great: Theatre and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Russia Subjects: Arts; Area Studies; Humanities; Language & Literature; Theatre & Performance Studies; Central Asian Russian & Eastern European Studies; History; Literature; European History; Early Modern History 1500-1750; Women''s & Gender History; Interdisciplinary Literary Studies; Literature by Period; The first in-depth study of Catherine the Great's plays and opera libretti, this book provides analysis and critical interpretation of the dramatic works by this eighteenth-century Russian Empress. These works are shown to be remarkable for their diversity, frank satire, topical subject matter, and stylistic innovations. O'Malley reveals comparisons to and influences from European traditions, including Shakespeare and Molière, and sets Catherine in the larger field of Russian literature in the period, further illuminating her relationship to the aesthetic debates of the period. The study investigates how Catherine expressed her social ideas throughout her drama and exploited the stage's power to promote political ideals and ideology. O'Malley sets close textual analysis within an historical framework, analyzing the major plays according to content, style, themes, characters, and relation to Catherine's life and political aims. Lurana Donnels O'Malley is Professor of Theatre at the University of Hawai'i Manoa, USA, where she teaches Theatre History, Dramatic Literature, and Directing. She is also active as a director. In 1998, she translated and edited the first published English-language translations of two of Catherine the Great's comedies. |
