Oboroten'
Alexei Kutuzov
alexei_kutuzov at YAHOO.COM
Thu Mar 10 19:55:07 UTC 2011
Agreed. "Shape shifter" is a euphemism for a Kama Sutra or Yoga instructor.
Werewolf is clearly the correct answer. Let us not forget that the оборотень
has a place in folklore as well, not only in discourse of the 1930s. If only a
certain "genius" could have helped us sooner.
Toodles,
Alexei
________________________________
From: Edythe Haber <Edythe.Haber at UMB.EDU>
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Sent: Thu, March 10, 2011 12:57:50 PM
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Oboroten'
Dear SEELANGtsy,
Thank you all for your answers. I certainly learned a lot about various
metamorphosing creatures in different cultures, but I'm still not sure a I
totally satisfactory solution. Shape-shifters sounds a little too sci fi to me
and doesn't seem to fit into emigre Russian discourse of the 1930s. It also
doesn't sound quite creepy enough. And some of the other suggestions from
various cultures, as well as more scientific-scholarly terms, don't seem to me
the equivalent to a common word like oboroten'. The "were" suggestion was
interesting, but I'm not sure it would be readily intelligible. Josh, although
the term is applied to Russian emigres, on the symbolic level it is associated
with the uncanny, diabolical, e.g.: "Takie siuda d'iavoly ponaekhali -- priamo
oborotni." So -- I might stick to werewolf, or maybe changeling with a note.
Since I have all of your ears, or more accurately, eyes, I have a totally
unrelated question. I can't seem to be able to type in Cyrillic in Microsoft
Outlook, although I think I was able to in the past. I do the Shift-Alt toggle
that works everywhere, else, but I get an entirely different set of (Latin)
symbols. Messages in Cyrillic from others come through fine. Can anyone help?
Thank you.
Gratefully,
Edie Haber
________________________________
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list on behalf
of Josh Wilson
Sent: Wed 3/9/2011 1:11 PM
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] NY Times on Avant-Garde Russian Art Collection in Nukuz,
Uzbekistan
"Shape-shifter" generally implies that the thing is able to shift between
species - a bit more dramatic than shifting identity as the description
seems to imply.
Without seeing more context, my instinct would be to go with something maybe
along the lines of just "shifters." "Metamorph," as Paul Gallagher suggests,
might also be appropriate, especially if your audience might know their Star
Trek. :)
Josh Wilson
Assistant Director
The School of Russian and Asian Studies
Editor in Chief
Vestnik, The Journal of Russian and Asian Studies
SRAS.org
jwilson at sras.org
-----Original Message-----
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
[mailto:SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of Stefani, Sara Marie
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 8:46 PM
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] NY Times on Avant-Garde Russian Art Collection in
Nukuz, Uzbekistan
shape-shifter?
________________________________________
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
[SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU] on behalf of Edythe Haber [Edythe.Haber at UMB.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 11:53 AM
To: SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] NY Times on Avant-Garde Russian Art Collection in
Nukuz, Uzbekistan
Dear SEELANGtsy,
I am having trouble finding the English equivalent for the word oboroten'.
Russian-English dictionaries I have consulted translate it as werewolf, but
that clearly does not fit the context of the text I'm working on: a 1938
play by Teffi, in which emigres are called oborotni, since they keep
changing identities -- their names, nationalities, professions, etc.
Ozhegov defines the word as: "chelovek, sposobnyi prevrashchat'sia v
kogo-chto-n. s pomoshch'iu volshebstva" -- in other words, not only into
wolves. I can't seem to come up with an English word denoting this. I'd
much appreciate your help.
Thanks,
Edie Haber
________________________________
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list on
behalf of Benjamin Rifkin
Sent: Tue 3/8/2011 9:48 AM
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Subject: [SEELANGS] NY Times on Avant-Garde Russian Art Collection in Nukuz,
Uzbekistan
Dear SEELANGers:
This article may be of interest to many in our community:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/arts/design/desert-of-forbidden-art-igor-s
avitsky-collection-in-nukus.html?_r=1
Best wishes to all,
Ben Rifkin
The College of New Jersey
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