Tolstoy question 6

[Judson Rosengrant]

I'll add in respect to Alexandra's interesting last posting, that Leskov and
Blok (or Oliver [Gold]smith) really have little to do with Tolstoy's 1857
passage, the sense of which is structured with great delicacy within his own
work of fiction.  Speculation about the 'real' meaning for him may be very
intriguing, but it will always be wise, I think, to keep a very sharp watch
on the line separating text-governed analysis from our own more private
conjectures.  

And that will be true, a fortiori, when translating a text of the intricacy
of the trilogy.  One will want to keep it intact, insofar as possible, and
not appropriate it to purposes and interpretations that may be extraneous
to it, to its time and place.

Others may do whatever they like with it, and perhaps, to some extent, they
even should, but a translator obviously cannot.  So, if the original
formulation is in fact ambiguous, then the translation will have to be too,
will have to leave the speculative door ajar but of course not wide open.

Jud  


Judson Rosengrant, PhD
PO Box 551 
Portland, OR 97207

503.880.9521 mobile
jrosengrant at earthlink.net

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------