{"product_id":"reading-russian-fortunes-print-culture-gender-and-divination","title":"Reading Russian Fortunes: Print Culture, Gender and Divination","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this review of Reading Russian Fortunes a scholarly reader will find the clearest single-volume account of how fortune telling books shaped urban Russian life from the late eighteenth century to today. Faith Wigzell's study is aimed at historians, literary scholars and anyone curious about popular print culture; the single biggest reason to read it is its sustained analysis of the acceptance of printed divination among literate urbanites and the central role of women in that process, presented with archival grounding and cultural context.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eKey Features\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFirst full-length study:\u003c\/strong\u003e Offers a comprehensive historical sweep from 1765 to the present, useful for understanding long-term cultural change.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFocus on print culture:\u003c\/strong\u003e Traces how printed fortune telling books moved from marginal to widely read texts among urban and literate Russians.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGendered analysis:\u003c\/strong\u003e Examines the role of women in producing, practising and sustaining fortune telling traditions within Russian society.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eConnection to oral tradition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Considers the relationship between urban printed forms and traditional oral divination, illuminating continuities and shifts.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContemporary relevance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Discusses why fortune telling remains a powerful cultural force in modern Russia, linking past practices to present belief.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eScholars of Russian literature and history, students of print culture and gender studies, and readers interested in folklore and divination will find this work particularly valuable. The book is strongest when used as a research monograph or course text where its archival evidence and interpretive framing can be discussed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose seeking a light popular history or a how-to guide on fortune telling should look elsewhere; this is an academic study that assumes interest in methodological detail and cultural analysis rather than practical divination instruction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePros \u0026amp; Cons\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePros\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvides the first sustained, book-length account of printed fortune telling in Russia, filling an important scholarly gap.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe gender focus brings forward women's contributions and social functions often overlooked in standard cultural histories.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCareful treatment of the relationship between print and oral traditions clarifies how popular beliefs persisted and adapted.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCons\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe academic tone and depth of archival detail may be dense for casual readers or those outside scholarly fields.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTitle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eReading Russian Fortunes: Print Culture, Gender and Divination in Russia from 1765\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAuthor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFaith Wigzell\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eScope\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFrom eighteenth century to the present\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFocus Areas\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePrint culture, gender, divination, oral tradition\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eType\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eScholarly monograph (history \u0026amp; criticism)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eUse\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAcademic study, course reading, cultural research\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Verdict\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReading Russian Fortunes is a valuable academic resource for anyone studying Russian cultural history, print culture or gendered practices of belief; its archival breadth and interpretive focus make it good value for scholars and graduate students who need a focused, evidence-driven account of how printed divination shaped urban life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes this book cover modern fortune telling practices in Russia?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book discusses continuity into the modern era and explains why fortune telling remains culturally significant today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this work accessible to non-specialists?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is written as a scholarly monograph with detailed analysis, so non-specialists may find parts of it dense but still informative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes the author address women's roles specifically?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes, a central strand of the study examines how women participated in and sustained printed fortune telling traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Faith Wigzell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48256531988699,"sku":"052102479X","price":57.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1043\/1707\/files\/61z9EfN5QxL._SL1000.jpg?v=1778282193","url":"https:\/\/gearmusthave.com\/products\/reading-russian-fortunes-print-culture-gender-and-divination","provider":"GearMustHave","version":"1.0","type":"link"}