The Russian Intelligentsia: Myth, Mission, and Metamorphosis

The Russian intelligentsia is the historic phenomenon of an educated opposition, and it has provoked a substantial body of Russian and Western publications. This book focuses on the intelligentsia’s Myth, Mission, Metamorphosis as discovered in literature, journalism, and theater. The chapters define essential elements of the myth of the intelligentsia as a distinctive social group and a spiritual formation claiming high moral standards and expectations for the self and for society. Second, contributions explore how the intelligentsia sees its mission on various historical stages as inextricably linked with Russia’s (and the Soviet Union’s) cultural destiny, especially its literary and other artistic creations. Finally, the volume addresses the metamorphosis of the intelligentsia over centuries, as socio-political factors shaped its persistence and its perpetual transformation.