Tolstoy's "Enthusiasm"
Edward M Dumanis
dumanis at BUFFALO.EDU
Mon Jun 26 19:36:11 UTC 2006
Which reminds me that French was the language of Russian nobility (I do
not remember it now, but I guess it was from the XVIII century), and so
French words were mixed with Russian ones in spoken Russian. Since the
word "enthousiasme" exists in French, it means that from the time when the
revolutionary-political sense of this word appeared in French, it most
likely appeared in Russian as well.
Sincerely,
Edward Dumanis <dumanis at buffalo.edu>
On Mon, 26 Jun 2006, Peter Scotto wrote:
> This is very useful.
>
> However, I am not sure whether it can really be counted as the word in the
> revolutionary-political sense we are after. But quite clearly we are on the way
> here.
>
> The OED gives an example of "enthusiasm" moving toward the meaning we are
> looking for in 1863, which would also be the year Tolstoy began writing _War and
> Peace_.
>
> Peter Scotto
> Mount Holyoke College
> pscotto at mtholyoke.edu
>
> Quoting Helena Tolstoy <tolstoy at MSCC.HUJI.AC.IL>:
>
> > An example of an earlier usage is Anna Pavlovna Scherer who projected an
> > image of an "enthusiast": "To be an enthusiast had become her social
> > vocation and, sometimes even when she did not feel like it, she became
> > enthusiastic in order not to disappoint the expectations of those who knew
> > her". --"War & Peace" Chapter I Page 1.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list
> > [mailto:SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU] On Behalf Of Peter Scotto
> > Sent: 26 June 2006 21:41
> > To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> > Subject: [SEELANGS] "Entuziazm" in Russian: Possible Date(P.Scotto)
> >
> > -->A clue from jh:
> >
> > I don't know, if this will help you, but the word occurs in Dostoevsky's
> > "Besy". There you can find phrases like "entuziazm sovr. molodezhi".
> >
> > -->Okay, everbody:<--
> >
> > JH's comment is very helpful and leads me to reach this tentative
> > conclusion:
> >
> > I can find the word in it's "Stalinist" meaning at least as early as 1890
> > with
> > the Russian publication of the first four chapters of
> > Stepniak-Kravchinkii's
> > _Andrei Kozhukov_ in _Sotsial Demokrat_ (1890, No. 2). The novel was first
> > written by Stepniak in English (!) and appeared in 1889. In the English
> > version
> > (as in the Russian version), both "enthusiasm" and "enthusiast" are used in
> > meanings that would be - in my judgement- entirely familiar to students of
> > Stalinist culture.
> >
> > Stepniak's was a populist/terrorist, and his novel is set at the end of the
> > 1870's. Given that "Besy" was published in 1872, it seems likely that the
> > word's familiar political usage came into currency as early as the 1870's.
> > I'm
> > beginning to suspect it may have been solidified by 1873-74 with the great
> > populist "Khozhdenie v narod."
> >
> > I will look into this further and report anything I find. Thank to all for
> > your
> > help.
> >
> > Peter Scotto
> > Mount Holyoke College
> > pscotto at mtholyoke.edu
> >
> >
> > Quoting Alexei Pavlov <bestpava at HOTMAIL.COM>:
> >
> > > Dear Prof. Scotto!
> > > I was glad to help you.
> > > Actually I'm interested in semantic syntax but I doubt that I will be
> > wrong
> > >
> > > if I say that this word appeared in Russian in the 20 century. Something
> > > tells me that you are aware of this fact.)
> > > Our collegues had suggested you to consult a specialist in this field and
> >
> > > stalinist period as well. Without any doubt this word was used in slogans
> > in
> > >
> > > the early soviet period but may be you should check some poets of the
> > soviet
> > >
> > > period as well. Starting with Majakovsky for example. May be that will be
> >
> > > helpfull.
> > > With respect,
> > > Alexe I. Pavlov
> > > PhD,
> > > Professor,
> > > StPetersburg State university, Russia
> > >
> > > From: Peter Scotto <pscotto at MTHOLYOKE.EDU>
> > > Reply-To: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list
> >
> > >
> > > <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
> > > To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> > > Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] "Entuziazm" in Russian?
> > > Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 08:18:57 -0400
> > >
> > > Dear Professor Pavlov:
> > >
> > > Thank you for this clarification. Would you know when the word comes
> > into
> > > Russian in this sense?
> > >
> > > Peter Scotto
> > > Mount Holyoke College
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Quoting Alexei Pavlov <bestpava at HOTMAIL.COM>:
> > >
> > > > I would say that it's not an idea or cause but the feeling and aim,
> > > desire
> > > > to do something.
> > > > That's how this word is taken by russians.
> > > > With respect,
> > > > Alexei I. Pavlov
> > > > PhD,
> > > > Professor,
> > > > St.Petersburg State university, Russia
> > > >
> > > > From: Peter Scotto <pscotto at MTHOLYOKE.EDU>
> > > > Reply-To: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list
> > > >
> > > > <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
> > > > To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> > > > Subject: [SEELANGS] "Entuziazm" in Russian?
> > > > Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2006 21:20:51 -0400
> > > >
> > > > Does anyone know, or does anyone know how I can find out, when the
> > word
> > > > "entuziazm" enters Russian, particularly in its sense of the
> > passionate
> > > > committment a revolutionary has for the cause or the idea?
> > > >
> > > > Peter Scotto
> > > > Mount Holyoke College
> > > > pscotto at mtholyoke.edu
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
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