The Russian Intelligentsia

<p>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 <i>Myth Mission Metamorphosis</i> as discovered in literature journalism and theater. The chapters define essential elements of the <i>myth</i> 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 <i>mission</i> 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 <i>metamorphosis</i> of the intelligentsia over centuries as socio-political factors shaped its persistence and its perpetual transformation.</p>