17th century According to
Dmitry Likhachov, Russian comedy traditions in literature could be traced back to
Praying of Daniel the Immured by
Daniil Zatochnik, a
Pereyaslavl-born lower class writer who lived between the 12th and 13th centuries. However, it wasn't until the early 17th century when comedy developed into a separate genre as a reaction to the
Time of Troubles. A whole line of independent anonymously published works gained popularity; the term "democratic satire" is used by researchers to describe them. There were also straight-up parodies of literary genres such as
The Story of a Life in Luxury and Fun.
18th century Next century saw the rise of a number of prominent comedy writers who belonged to the upper class. The most renowned is
Denis Fonvizin who produced several comedy plays between 1769 and 1792, most famously
The Minor (1781) about a nobleman without a
high school diploma. It satirized provincial nobility and became a great success and a source of many quotes, inspiring many future generations of writers. Other names include
Antiochus Kantemir who wrote satirical poems and a dramatist
Alexander Sumarokov whose plays varied from a straight-up satire against his enemies to
comedy of manners as well as the Russian Empress
Catherine the Great who produced around 20 comedy plays and operas, most famously
Oh, These Time! (1772) and
The Siberian Shaman (1786). == Satirical magazines ==