tion and stories, and selected Russian proverbs. In sight in setting an example of toying with various 1780 she published her first antimasonic work, which genres, especially in adapting foreign works to Rus-was deliberately misdated 1759. In 1785-1786 her sian tastes and customs. Certainly she received con-trilogy of antimasonic comedies appeared: The De-siderable direct assistance in the composition and ceiver, The Deluded, , and The Siberian Shaman, all editing of her works, some of which may be consid-three of which attacked freemasonry as an interna-ered to have been written "by committee," as it were. tional conspiracy and ridiculed its devotion to ritual. The same is true of much of her nonfiction, , especially All three were quickly translated into German and of her Nakaz, and her authorship of important state published by C . E Nicolai. She also indulged in two documents such as the Charter to the Nobility of 1785. adaptations of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives s of She may have demonstrated greater originality in some Windso orr and Timon of Athe ennss as Vot kakvo o (This Tis of her letters to friends, particularly those to her Pari-to Have Linen and Buck-Baskets) and Rastochi itt el l (The sian agent and confidant t Melchior Grimm. Spendt t hri i ft t ), , bot thiin 1786 . . Lat t er she offered t t wo "i imii-t ta tti ions" of f Shakespea r re . . Her r comi i c ope r ras , , wrriittt ten : ,000, and the Russi ives undoub d even mo In fiction Catherine certainly displayed little lit- erary talent, yet she did show some audacity and fore- Maroger (1955). Voltaire and Catherine the Great:

doi:10.4324/9781315050898-48

Chapter

tion and stories, and selected Russian proverbs. In sight in setting an example of toying with various 1780 she published her first antimasonic work, which genres, especially in adapting foreign works to Rus-was deliberately misdated 1759. In 1785-1786 her sian tastes and customs. Certainly she received con-trilogy of antimasonic comedies appeared: The De-siderable direct assistance in the composition and ceiver, The Deluded, , and The Siberian Shaman, all editing of her works, some of which may be consid-three of which attacked freemasonry as an interna-ered to have been written "by committee," as it were. tional conspiracy and ridiculed its devotion to ritual. The same is true of much of her nonfiction, , especially All three were quickly translated into German and of her Nakaz, and her authorship of important state published by C . E Nicolai. She also indulged in two documents such as the Charter to the Nobility of 1785. adaptations of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives s of She may have demonstrated greater originality in some Windso orr and Timon of Athe ennss as Vot kakvo o (This Tis of her letters to friends, particularly those to her Pari-to Have Linen and Buck-Baskets) and Rastochi itt el l (The sian agent and confidant t Melchior Grimm. Spendt t hri i ft t ), , bot thiin 1786 . . Lat t er she offered t t wo "i imii-t ta tti ions" of f Shakespea r re . . Her r comi i c ope r ras , , wrriittt ten

Chapter

tion and stories, and selected Russian proverbs. In sight in setting an example of toying with various 1780 she published her first antimasonic work, which genres, especially in adapting foreign works to Rus-was deliberately misdated 1759. In 1785-1786 her sian tastes and customs. Certainly she received con-trilogy of antimasonic comedies appeared: The De-siderable direct assistance in the composition and ceiver, The Deluded, , and The Siberian Shaman, all editing of her works, some of which may be consid-three of which attacked freemasonry as an interna-ered to have been written "by committee," as it were. tional conspiracy and ridiculed its devotion to ritual. The same is true of much of her nonfiction, , especially All three were quickly translated into German and of her Nakaz, and her authorship of important state published by C . E Nicolai. She also indulged in two documents such as the Charter to the Nobility of 1785. adaptations of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives s of She may have demonstrated greater originality in some Windso orr and Timon of Athe ennss as Vot kakvo o (This Tis of her letters to friends, particularly those to her Pari-to Have Linen and Buck-Baskets) and Rastochi itt el l (The sian agent and confidant t Melchior Grimm. Spendt t hri i ft t ), , bot thiin 1786 . . Lat t er she offered t t wo "i imii-t ta tti ions" of f Shakespea r re . . Her r comi i c ope r ras , , wrriittt ten

ABSTRACT

tion and stories, and selected Russian proverbs. In 1780 she published her first antimasonic work, which was deliberately misdated 1759. In 1785-1786 her trilogy of antimasonic comedies appeared: The Deceiver, The Deluded, and The Siberian Shaman, all three of which attacked freemasonry as an international conspiracy and ridiculed its devotion to ritual. All three were quickly translated into German and published by CE Nicolai. She also indulged in two adaptations of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor and Timon of Athens as Vot kakvo (This Tis to Have Linen and Buck-Baskets) and Rastochitel (The Spendthrift), both in 1786. Later she offered two "imitations" of Shakespeare. Her comic operas, written with Aleksandr Khrapovitskii, were quite popular mainly because they employed the best composers, musicians, set designers, and elaborate stage machinery and costumes. She professed to see in them a form of therapy (for depression in particular).