Farce, Comedy, Tragicomedy. Essays on the Historical Poetics of Dramatic Genres

The paper reviews the book of one of the leading Russian experts in the history and theory of Western literature, Mikhail Andreev, that is dedicated to the emergence and development of European drama. It focuses upon key moments in the history and evolution of dramatic genres highlighting the crucial generic entanglements, shifts and turnovers. The book covers extensive literary material beginning from medieval liturgical drama up to the trilogy of Russian dramatist of the 19th century Alexander Suhovo-Kobylin. Having based his investigation on the principles of historical poetics, Andreev combines in it historical and typological approach. Hence, he both explores the subjects poorly treated by Russian scholarship (e. g., Tasso's pastorals, tragicomedies by Cinzio, Metastasio and Goldoni, as well as Fletcher, Beaumont and Corneille) and comes to important theoretical conclusions and observations concerning the fundamental aspects of the historical development of European dramatic genres. In this respect, the chapters on medieval farce, on the role and essence of hindrance within the dramatic plot, or on the nature of tragicomedy, its generic features and different patterns of its interpretation, should be emphasized. The author is specifically engaged into analyzing the figures and epoques when theater produces its most efficient plot structures and artistic devices, and on the contrary, on the moments when popular and successful genre suddenly loses its self-efficiency and retreats from s theatrical forefront. This coherent methodological 'bottom-line' of the book determines both its internal structure and the selection of cases the author is concentrating upon. By analyzing them, Mikhail Andreev manages to accomplish a broad and most convincing typological description of key dramatic schemes and plot structures throughout the history of European theater.