Power and the void : representations of sovereignty in unperformed plays of the Stalinist period
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- This dissertation explores the relationship between sovereign power, its subjects, and the theatrical form through four unpublished and unperformed (or barely performed) plays from the time of Stalin's reign. In analyzing these plays, I approach sovereign power as, above all, a performance. This framing allows for the consideration of the position of the sovereign as a role to be inhabited, just as an actor on the stage gives life to their character. In light of this approach, the dramatic form becomes an ideal medium through which to meditate on how power-performances function: how they succeed, their varied impacts on their subjects, and also what weaknesses they may possess. The four plays featured in this project present a variety of modes through which to understand sovereignty and subjecthood. In some, the fleeting nature of performance and theatrical presence is emphasized, and sovereigns are depicted as ghostly phantoms who cannot generate the physical substance necessary for their rule to endure. In others, the elusive, intangible nature of the sovereign and the structures that surround him are shown in a more menacing light, as subjects can be trapped and seized by this power without a chance to resist. Placed together, these plays present a complex depiction of how theater can illuminate the power dynamics and struggles between sovereigns and subjects. Additionally, these plays are not prominent in their authors' respect oeuvres; this project thus sheds light on lesser-studied but textually and dramatically rich works of the Stalin era.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Place | California |
| Place | [Stanford, California] |
| Publisher | [Stanford University] |
| Copyright date | 2022; ©2022 |
| Publication date | 2022; 2022 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Murphy, Lenora Clare |
|---|---|
| Degree supervisor | Jakovljević, Branislav |
| Thesis advisor | Jakovljević, Branislav |
| Thesis advisor | Ilchuk, Yuliya |
| Thesis advisor | Safran, Gabriella, 1967- |
| Degree committee member | Ilchuk, Yuliya |
| Degree committee member | Safran, Gabriella, 1967- |
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|---|
| Genre | Text |
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Lenora Murphy. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. |
| Thesis | Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2022. |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/dj901vq9537 |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2022 by Lenora Clare Murphy
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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