Znakomaia neznakomka

[S. Brouwer]

Hello Seelangers,

would anyone know when, where and how the expression "znakomaia
neznakomka" was first used in Russian? The first case I know of is
F.Glinka's "Opyty allegorii" (beginnings of the 1820's), the second
Askochenskii's "Asmodei nashego vremeni" (1857). It then definitely
meant 'a woman, whom you know, but did't yet recognize as the
mysterious and inspiring being that she really is". Nowadays, one
sees it a lot, on internet as well: "Bolgariia - znakomaia
neznakomka; sanseveriia - idem; turetskaia angora - etc." (something
like: you thought you knew it, but there's so much still to learn
about it; or else: you've heard of it, but you don't know what it
really is).

I suppose that it's a translation from the French l'inconnue connue,
but was that expression known in the XVIIIth cent and beginning of
the XIXth? How was it used? Who used it first in its Russian
translation? How well known was it in the XIXth cent.?

Many thanks in advance,
Sander Brouwer

Dr S. Brouwer
University of Groningen, Fac. of Arts, Slavic Dept.
Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat 26
9712 EK Groningen,   The Netherlands
tel: +31 50 3636062   home: +31 50 3119769
fax: +31 50 3635821   http://odur.let.rug.nl/~sbrouwer

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