Publications

Publication details [#67810]

Ryabova, Galina N. 2021. Humour and satire in everyday life of Soviet society in the 1920s. The European Journal of Humour Research 9 (1) : 136–154.
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Keywords
Language as a subject

Annotation

In the Soviet society of the 1920s, humour and satire had existed at two levels: official and unofficial, each having rather diverse forms. At the official level, there were, first of all, satirical articles, humoresques, and cartoons published in the magazines and newspapers, and the latter being an integral part of Soviet everyday life. Secondly, there were performances of propaganda teams (the Blue Blouse in particular). These performances took place at any venues: in working clubs and village halls, on the factory floors, and in different offices. The repertoire of propaganda teams always included satirical couplets directed against “internal and external enemies”. At the unofficial level, there were witty-ditties, funny couplets, and anecdotes. At each level, humour and satire had their own goals and fulfilled various functions: from ideological to relaxational. However, the ideological function was most clearly manifested at the official level. Humour and satire were an integral part of political propaganda. This article sets out to consider various forms of humour and satire at the official level.