images of merchants

[o'drisceoil]

Andy,

You have received many wonderful suggestions, and you can find more in
Louis Perlman's "Russian Literature and the Business Man." (1937).  I would
caution your students, however, to make careful distinctions between a
traditional Russian merchant (operating within the parameters of a
tributary economy), and a capitalist (operating within the parameters of a
capitalist economy).  "Business affairs" have been conducted for millenia,
but capitalism is something quite distinct, and in the case of Russia,
makes its debut relatively late.

One of the best discussions of the important differences between a merchant
and capitalist can be found in Heilbroner's  "The Nature and Logic of
Capitalism."  I think it would make for a great discussion in class to put
the character of Chichikov, for example, to the test.

Best,

James S. O'Driscoll
Harvard

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