Anonymous places

[Susan Bauckus]

English authors in the 18th-19th century did the same thing, didn't they?
Austen frequently uses "N_" to name a town or province. 


> [Original Message]
> From: Alina Israeli <aisrael at AMERICAN.EDU>
> To: <SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU>
> Date: 7/22/2008 8:28:48 AM
> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Anonymous places
>
> Robert,
>
> I believe there are two reasons for that: a) not to put a spot light  
> on any particular town, although in Chekhov and Turgenev we find  
> easily identifiable towns S. and O. and b) to make it more universal,  
> as we say it here "Any town USA", so similarly "Anytown" in Russia.
>
> The device is used not just for cities, but also for people's names,  
> particularly when nobility was involved, although of course there are  
> other ways of obscuring the situation. One of my all time favorites  
> comes from a French film "Les grandes maneuvres" where Gérard Philipe  
> had a number 33 on his lapel. At the time portrayed in the movie  
> there were 31 regiments (I am not strong in military terminology) in  
> France.
>
> Alina
>
> On Jul 22, 2008, at 11:12 AM, Robert Chandler wrote:
>
> > Dear all,
> >
> > A journalist friend has just asked me this question:
> >
> > ‘ I am writing a piece about place and I want to mention the  
> > convention in
> > some Russian novels of representing places by saying something like  
> > 'In the
> > town of P–' I wondered if you could possibly enlighten me as to why  
> > these
> > anonymity conferring initials were so widespread and whether they  
> > still are
> > a commonplace in Russian fiction?’
> >
>
> Alina Israeli
> LFS, American University
> 4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW
> Washington DC. 20016
> (202) 885-2387 	
> fax (202) 885-1076
> aisrael at american.edu
>
>
>
>
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