Making War, Not Love: Gender and Sexuality in Russian Humor

by Emil Draitser

One pithy joke encapsulates a world of knowledge about a culture. Because humor plays with the most deeply seated cultural assumptions, it makes visible areas of unacknowledged attitudes and behaviors in private realms. In this groundbreaking study, through the content analysis of over 600 jokes, proverbs, sayings, and popular rhymes, Emil A. Draitser offers an insider's view on the sociological and psychological functions of Russian sexual folklore and the way it reflects male/female relationships. Draitser leaves no dirty joke untold as he examines such taboo subjects as adultery, impotence, and gender and violence. This timely study sheds light on Russian popular culture and the nature of sexual humor everywhere.

308 pages, Hardcover

First published January 9, 1999

About the author

An author and professor of Russian at Hunter College in NYC, a three-time recipient of fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, in addition to his twelve books, his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Partisan Review, and the North American Review. "

Reviews

[Alessandro Amarossi]

Extremely interesting insight on Russian culture and humour. One of the main guiding texts for my BA thesis.