Vronsky's Finances

[Alina Israeli]

>Perhaps someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I assume the reason for
>Vronskii's hierarchy of repayment is that a gambling debt is a debt of
>honour,

Indeed, even though it was not even his own debt.

That passage resonated in me when I reread Anna Karenina recently (well,
7-8 years ago): Vronsky saw nothing dishonorable in not paying the tailor
for his work. It was a morror image for me of thousands of people in Russia
who went unpaid for years. No one saw anything shameful or dishonorable in
not paying the employees. It was a non-issue until people started to strike
and demonstrate, not to mention periodic hunger strikes around the country.

And here is the "linguistic" support of the distinction: One is "neuplata
(dolgov, nalogov)" and the other is "nevyplata (zarplaty)".

I bet the penal code says something about "neuplata" and nothing about
"nevyplata".


>in the sense that repayment cannot be enforced through the courts.  Though
>a gentleman who found himself in the position of being taken to court by
>his tailor would, no doubt, cease to be a gentleman and in consequence be
>invited to continue his career somewhere outside the officer corps of the
>Imperial army.

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

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

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