Quote:
Originally Posted by MSWallack
War and Peace is a fabulous book, but it is daunting both in size and scope. One recommendation, especially if you're not well-versed in Russian literature: Make a list of characters as they're introduced and then update your list with the patronymic and/or diminutive as it/they is/are given. This will keep you from going crazy or thinking mistaking a single character for two.
An example? OK (though it's been a long, long time, since I've studied Russian lit or naming conventions, so you might look some of this up on your own). Anyway, let's say that a character is Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky. Usually, that character will be referred to as Vladimir (if in dialogue) or Vysotsky (if in a description, like "Vysotsky put the book on the table."). But sometimes, in dialogue the character will be called "Vladimir Semyonovich" or, occassionally, just "Semyonovich". And, to make things a bit more confusing, much as we shorten names (Michael to Mike, Robert to Bob, and so forth), most Russian names also have a diminutive, but to a foreign reader, they're not obvious. For example, diminutives for Vladimir include Volodya and Vova (just as Michael could be Mike or Mickey). For a little more help, this Wikipedia page isn't bad: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern...naming_customs.
Oh, and I almost forgot. Most women, while they have their father's or husband's surname, include an a at the end (surnames are gender specific). Thus, when Natalya marries Ivan Romanov, she becomes Natalya Romanova. Usually.
When I took a Russian lit class in college, I was lucky to have a professor who spent part of a class working through these sorts of things so that the reading process was smoother and we could spend more time with the story and less time banging our heads against the first wall we could find. |
Thanks for the explanation
I've studied and followed many (Russian) chess grandmasters in the past, and read some books about them, so I do know a bit about naming conventions, customs, and culture; but I'm certain I will encounter whole bunches of stuff that I've never seen before if I decide to start reading Tostoy (and others).