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GOETHE’S “FAUST” IN THE LIGHT OF THE RUSSIAN DRAMA STAGE (19 th – early 20 th centuries)

History of Russia: from ancient times to 1917 , UDC: 930.85 DOI: 10.24412/2076-9105-2025-258-49-71

Authors

  • Ogorodnikova Olga Aleksandrovna Candidate of Historical Sciences, associate professor

Annotation

The article is devoted to the Russian stage history of the greatest work of world drama, the most significant and famous literary and philosophical masterpiece of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe — the tragedy “Faust”, which was established on the stage since the 1820s, but saw the light of day only in the second half of the 19 th century, having won a strong position in the repertoire at the beginning of the 20 th century. In accordance with the indicated events of the theatrical biography of the play, from the position of a historian, with the involvement of unpublished official documents and materials of the periodical press, its path on the domestic dramatic stage — imperial and private — is presented. The conditions that favored the “rooting” of “Faust” in theatrical aesthetics and practice are analyzed, as well as the obstacles on this path, including censorship and creative ones. The projects of artistic embodiments of the dramatic poem are considered — both unsuccessful and realized in the theatrical space of Russian capitals; their critical reception is traced. Based on the presented retrospective of productions that evolved from the operetta parody of the Alexandrinsky Theatre and free interpretations of the Maly, to the intellectual directorial experiments of P. P. Gnedich and the stage interpretation of F. F. Komissarzhevsky created “under the sign of philosophy”, the main stages of the assimilation of Goethe’s tragedy by the Russian drama theatre are identified.

How to link insert

Ogorodnikova, O. A. (2025). GOETHE’S “FAUST” IN THE LIGHT OF THE RUSSIAN DRAMA STAGE (19 th – early 20 th centuries) Bulletin of the Moscow City Pedagogical University. Series "Pedagogy and Psychology", № 2 (58), 49. https://doi.org/10.24412/2076-9105-2025-258-49-71
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