Caricature as simulacra: the construction of images of the intelligentsia by Soviet satirical publications in 1922–1991

Abstract

The article attempts to compare the caricature with simulacra, that is, a copy that depicts something that does not have the original in real life, or has lost it over time. It is argued that the caricature is not a reflection of existing reality, but the image of ideas. The role of simulacra in the construction of images of the intelligentsia by Soviet propaganda was shown. Simulacra, including caricatures, acted as a means of constructing the cultural, social and political reality of Soviet society. The hyperreality of such caricatures manifested in an attempt by caricaturists to create such a reality that would replace the existing one. The phases of the development of images formed are analyzed as a result of the simulation process. In particular, if the first two phases are based on objective or subjective reality, then the next two phases are based on simulation (the generation of schemes, sign systems of the real without the original and reality). Despite the fact that all phases of the image’s development periodically appear throughout the entire existence of Soviet satirical magazines, however, in the mid-1940s one can observe a gradual transition from depicting real events to generalizing, hyperbolized plots, which was recorded by the Resolution of the secretariat of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks from 1948 and 1951. The metaphor of reality that is formed as a result of simulation is, on the one hand, the official view of Soviet propaganda, because satirical magazines were the official organ of the Soviet press, and on the other hand, it was a reflection not of the author’s worldview, but of collective consciousness. In this sense, simulacra have become a universal tool, because thanks to the caricatures the understanding of reality has become more outlined.