"well-endowed"

[Alina Israeli]

>Sorry, I didn't get your point: I am afraid, neither Bunin nor Pushkin would
>be helpful with the current Russian equivalent for "well-endowed" ;))

That's exactly the point. Neither used a Jayne Mansfield type model.
Whatever is of interest to men is (at least in part) culture specific (and
time specific). Just think for a moment of an Indian beauty, not the one
which is groomed for a Miss Universe contest, but which is considered a
beauty in India.

As Julia Trubikhina mentioned:

well-endowed is the one that would be in a different stylistic
"register" in Russian, unless it's just neutral: "with large
breasts"-- (s bol'shoi grud'iu)
Otherwise,  (grudastaia, iadrenaia)
And of course there is a score of less and less "decent" epithets...:)

much of it not very flattering.

Bunin's story has a laundry list of qualities:

Я  в  одной  папиной  книге,--  у  него много старинных
смешных книг,-- прочла, какая красота должна быть у  женщины...
Там,  понимаешь,  столько насказано, что всего не упомнишь: ну,
конечно,  черные,  кипящие  смолой  глаза,--  ей-богу,  так   и
написано:  кипящие  смолой!--черные,  как  ночь, ресницы, нежно
играющий румянец, тонкий стан,  длиннее  обыкновенного  руки,--
понимаешь,  длиннее  обыкновенного!--  маленькая  ножка, в меру
большая  грудь,  правильно  округленная  икра,   колена   цвета
раковины, покатые плечи,

but the bosom must be "v meru bol'shaja", and what is the measure exactly?

>
>Please don't forget about Bunin's  Legkoye Dihaniye.The  end of  this story.
>
>And it is I think continues the conversation between Anatol and Dolokhov in
>W and P(vol.2,part 5): " Oni razobrali dostonstvo ee ruk,nog,plech i volos".

That's a good start for cross-cultural analysis.


__________________________
 Alina Israeli
 LFS, American University
 4400 Mass. Ave., NW
 Washington, DC 20016

 phone:    (202) 885-2387
 fax:      (202) 885-1076 

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