Nigilistka, 20,000 rubles in 1874

[Inna Caron]

Hi Romy!

It seems that some eight years earlier, the sum of 10,000 rubles that
Svidrigailov offered Dunya (via Raskolnikov) afforded her financial
independence and saved from the marriage of convenience to dreadful Luzhin.
Granted, things may have changed by 1874 (seeing as the gas prices nearly
quadrupled here in the past decade :), but I can't imagine the change would
be that dramatic. I believe Vera inherited enough to sustain a young lady of
her stature and to provide respectable dowry for when a proper marriage
prospect came along. Her nuptial choice was certainly that of free will (and
perhaps defiance ?)

Inna

Inna Caron
Ph.D. Candidate, Slavic Languages and Literatures
Graduate Senator (College of Humanities)
The Ohio State University
400 Hagerty Hall
Columbus, OH 43210
614-292-6733
caron.4 at osu.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
[mailto:SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of Romy Taylor
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 2:20 AM
To: SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU
Subject: [SEELANGS] Nigilistka, 20,000 rubles in 1874

Dear colleagues!

At the end of Kovalevskaya's "Nihilist Girl," Vera Barantsova inherits  
20,000 rubles, marries a nihilist and follows him to Siberia.

My students wanted to know: was 20,000 rubles a lot in 1874?  Was Vera  
an heiress
"playing nihilist," or was she going to live a hardship life on very  
little money?

 From the sums mentioned in Anna Karenina (Levin paying 14 rubles for  
a magnificent dinner with Stiva), 20,000 seems like a lot - but I'd  
love to hear more about the ruble's comparative worth, ups and downs.

Yours gratefully,
Romy Taylor

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