“One Might Think It Is a Ward in a Madhouse”

Abstract

This chapter is divided into two parts that analyze early Cold War Soviet caricature of two kinds—pictorial and verbal. Both focus on the presentation of a new kind of enemies: not immediately and directly dangerous, but deeply alien in their very existence. The first part analyzes pictorial caricature with reference to the Soviet concept of “the typical” and in the context of the principle of “thinking in types” as an attribute of totalitarian consciousness. Pictorial caricatures are explored as a tool of forming a new type of ideologically correct reading of signs. The second part explores a range of satirical texts—from verses to plays on politically relevant topics. The use of traditional comic tropes is examined systematically.