³the incomplete grandiosity of R ussia ²

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Olga Meerson wrote:

> Unrealized, possibly. Grandiosity, no. Grandeur. Or greatness.
> Velichie is NOT a compromised word. In order for the oxymoron to
> obtain, the words have to retain their respective connotations: the
> latter, positive, the former, undercutting. But what is important
> about nesostoiavsheesia is also that it is about something
> interrupted in time--as if it were almost achieved but in the end,
> something went wrong. Hence the irony. So I still prefer "aborted
> grandeur". Plus, then the irony may convey, in English, a little of
> the sense of turning tables, from Russian nationalists' expression,
> to Russian nationalism itself.

For me, "aborted," like "abortive," suggests a conscious, intentional 
decision not to be great, and I find that inappropriate here. Russia has 
always had visions (some would say "delusions") of grandeur, and there 
has never been any intent to forgo them; to the contrary, she has 
pursued them despite obstacles.

For this reason, I would suggest something along the lines of "failed 
grandeur" -- that inability or outside factors prevented Russia from 
realizing her dreams. A more neutral term (one that does not comment so 
strongly on intent) would be "unrealized grandeur"; this might even 
suggest that the possibility remains.

-- 
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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