Andrei Zorin. State Order for Symbolic Images of Feeling in Russia in the Late 18th Century and Their Alternative Suppliers

In many authoritarian states the regime strives to take control over the establishment of "emotional regime" (W. Reddy), under which this society lives, sanctioning and supporting the expansion of "emotional matrices" approved by the regime. For Russian autocracy during the reign of Catherine the Great the issue of personal development of royal subjects was the primary task of the court, performed by the means of satirical journalism, court ceremonies and festivities and, first and foremost, theater. However, the same era gave birth to alternative attempts to establish symbolic models of upheavals, the most significant of which were book publishing and philanthropic activities of Moscow's Rosicrucians and literary works of Nikolai Karamzin. Competition over creating "emotional matrices" which were the most desirable by the society ended with the unconditional victory of literature. The presentation will dwell upon the first phase of this process.