Home of the Gentry Pre-Discussion (June Selection)

[Darrin]

My copy, also the old black Penguin edition translated by Freeborn, is in my backpack carry-on and will be the book I crack open as soon as I get settled into a plane seat on my way to Korea.

I figure 18 hours of flight time between Grand Rapids, MI and Incheon, Korea will give me time to get through the whole thing. Hopefully I won't be too distracted by the in-flight movies.

We leave at 5:48am this coming Saturday morning...a mid-flight nap be in order later too.

[Ken]

Very cool, Darrin. And you'll be about as close to Russia as a guy can get (without entering Russia).

Let's see... if my RISK game board memories serve, that'd be Kamchatka you'll be near.

[Carol]

Darrin wrote: "My copy, also the old black Penguin edition translated by Freeborn, is in my backpack carry-on and will be the book I crack open as soon as I get settled into a plane seat on my way to Korea.

I f..."
Safe journey, happy reading.

[Sara]

Yes, have a good trip, Darrin. Be safe.

[Kathleen]

Enjoy your journey, Darrin! Turgenev should be good company for the flight, and hopefully help prepare you to have a great time in Korea.

[Ken]

Nick wrote: "Copy received, five chapters read. I have the old black Penguin edition, love those black spines, in remarkably good condition from 1985. Translator is Richard Freeborn."

Before everyone's love affair with the NYRB paperbacks, there was everyone's love affair with the black-spined Penguins. I have more than a few, too!

[Ken]

I just finished reading our runner-up for June, Gesualdo Bufalino's Night's Lies.

Review is here.

[Diane]

I just started reading yesterday, but not sure I could pull an 18 hour stint with it. I'll just space it out a bit more. Happy travels, Darrin.

[Plateresca]

I've started the book, too.

I am always interested in books that are mentioned in books, and I was intrigued by the mysterious book mentioned here. I'm not sure GR will allow me to post a link...
https://www.loc.gov/item/57050625/
This is the original. As far as I understand, Ambodik (the author mentioned in our text) produced his own version of this. Probably his commentary was so weird because it was a bad translation.

This reminded me of the weird book Jane Eyre was reading in the beginning; that one had weird artwork (which can be found online, too).

[Darrin]

I have 2 other books to break up the monotony, A Time to Love and a Time to Die by Remarque and Dear Specimen poems by W.J. Herbert.

[Sue]

I have begun too. Have to admit the names do slow me down quite a bit so I focus on the first part.

[Sara]

I've managed my first read through, and enjoyed the second half -- I think I just finally got used to it. I'm really looking forward to starting again to figure out what I missed in the first half as I was wrestling with the names.

[Kathleen]

I appreciate your point about the names, Sue and Sara, and I think I will start soon. As Sue says, it helps to take your time with the beginning.

[Ken]

Names are always an issue with Russian literature due to the Russians' fondness for nicknames, terms of endearment, patronymics, matronymics, etc.

Some Russian translations come with a helpful guide to names and families (almost like dramatis personae found before a play) in the front or back, like my copy of War & Peace. This one doe not.

You could create your own "Who's Who score card" as a bookmark. It'll interrupt your reading early on, but less so as you go deeper into the book.

[Sara]

I'm definitely creating character flashcards for myself this second time through! I'm sure it will help, and, actually, I think will be less distracting than the confusion I was in trying to get the characters straight the first time.

[Sue]

My copy does have a list of characters with a pronunciation guide but with no guide as to who each name is. Just the name!

[Ken]

Sue wrote: "My copy does have a list of characters with a pronunciation guide but with no guide as to who each name is. Just the name!"

Pencil it in, pencil it in!

[Carol]

I think I have the character’s straight. Famous last words huh?

[Cindy]

Sara wrote: "I'm definitely creating character flashcards for myself this second time through! I'm sure it will help, and, actually, I think will be less distracting than the confusion I was in trying to get th..."

This is a great idea as I have kept backtracking to make sure I know which character is which.

[Kathleen]

I'm going to go with Ken's idea: create your own who's who scorecard to use as a bookmark. That has worked for me in the past.

[Sue]

Ken, I can’t. It’s from the library. While future readers might be pleased, the library probably would not. And who knows how marks would erase on this nearly 100 year old paper.

[Sue]

Kathleen, I think I will have to do that, much as I dislike the idea. After all, I have Alexa reminding me of when to take pills or when I have a zoom meeting. So why not a list of characters.

[Sara]

It would be fine if each character had one name, but the multiple name habit, plus the difficulty in pronouncing some of the long Russian middles, provides the challenge. I usually settle in about halfway through and stop having to ask myself...now who is that?

[Diane]

No wonder Russians have such a difficult history; they spend most of their time pronouncing names and figuring out who they're talking about. Except for Putin, his is short and sweet.

[Ken]

I might as well let it be known here that, during this discussion, I will ask that you address me as Kenneth Alexei Dmitrivich Craft.

Or Sasha will do.

[Kathleen]

Ken wrote: "I might as well let it be known here that, during this discussion, I will ask that you address me as Kenneth Alexei Dmitrivich Craft.

Or Sasha will do."

Ha! Sasha it is.

I kind of like how it all rolls off the tongue though. There's something fun about calling someone by all of their names. Can you imagine, if say, Ken came over to visit, we were to say:
"Oh, it's Kenneth Alexei Dimitrivich Craft! Come in Kenneth Alexei. Look everyone, Sasha is here. Have a seat, Kenneth Alexei."

So confusing, but I kind of love it.

[Ken]

It's almost as if the nickname or diminutive or whatever fits the situation. Or the mood.

You get a small echo of it here in the States. My mother only used my middle name (after the first) when she was angry and looking for me to come face the music. Others, I've heard, experienced the same thing. Weird.

[Diane]

Maybe it's similar to the way we mishmash our dog names. My dogs name is Mullett, but she comes to Muttbutt, Mulei, Muj or Buttlet. Affectionate diminutives.

[Sue]

She feels the love Diane…or the coming of food.

[Ken]

Sue wrote: "She feels the love Diane…or the coming of food."

Much like us, dogs are walking stomachs.


I thought I might finish the book I'm on before starting the Turgenev, but maybe not. I expect to enter the Home of the Gentry tomorrow or Thursday. Warming up on my patronymics and matronymics.

[Carol]

I have finished it. Once I transported myself to that era, I followed fairly well. Probably forget though by the time the discussion rolls around.

[Sara]

I have also finished. Underwhelming.

[Darrin]

Hello from Haeundae, Busan, Korea! I am finding this to be a much more enjoyable and readable book than our previous outing with a Russian. Any translator who is able to work in the word “scrofulous” into his translation of a text gets my vote.

[Ken]

Had to look that word up, then the word "scrofula." Reminded me of the Gland Old Party (GOP) or something.

Glad you're in your destination nation, Darrin!

[Nick]

“Scrofulous” is certainly a memorable word. I seem to recall it turning up in Brideshead Revisited. It’s just not used enough!

[Ken]

Nick wrote: "“Scrofulous” is certainly a memorable word. I seem to recall it turning up in Brideshead Revisited. It’s just not used enough!"

It may not be USED enough (by writers), but it's acted out early and often (by politicians, lobbyists, and corporate types -- for starters).

[Nick]

Very timely, Ken, we have just had an election here where there was lots of scrofulousness on display.

[Ken]

So I read.

[Kathleen]

Thanks for dropping us a note from Korea, Darrin, and for pointing out "scrofulous," which certainly sounds like what it means.

I hope those who finished early don’t hesitate to come back for the conversation next week--whether you enjoyed it or not! I’m reading slowly--only about 1/4th through. I like how Turgenev uses the life of an individual character to make broader points about society. This seems like a very different approach than what we saw with The Bros K, where Dostoevsky goes deep into an individual’s philosophy.

[Diane]

I finished a few days ago. I will certainly join in the conversation to get other people's opinions and I need a few things clarified from those more familiar with Russian literature than I am.

[Plateresca]

I am very looking forward to this discussion!

[Plateresca]

Diane wrote: "I need a few things clarified from those more familiar with Russian literature than I am."
Which things do you mean, or is it too early to ask? :)

[Diane]

I'll wait til June 1st Plateresca. I don't want to give anything away before the discussion begins.

[Ken]

We just journeyed from the house to the Thoreau cabin in the woods for the holiday weekend and (grrrr) I forgot the Hirsch book I've been reading and was only 50 pages away from finishing.

The bad news it it'll have to wait. The good news is I have the Gentry with me. (They looked around and said, "Needs some gentrification, this joint.")

[Cindy]

Darrin wrote: "I purchased the Penguin edition translated by Freeborn...mostly because I like those Penguin black book covers. It is arriving Wednesday, I think."

That's the version, I have Darrin. I finished the book earlier today. It was a fairly short novel.

[Ken]

Cindy wrote: "Darrin wrote: "I purchased the Penguin edition translated by Freeborn...mostly because I like those Penguin black book covers. It is arriving Wednesday, I think."

That's the version, I have Darrin..."

I finished today, too. Thread goes up tomorrow night!

[Darrin]

I am almost done and feel like it will go quickly when I have more time. I am posting this at 9:00am in the morning in Korea but hope to spend this evening reading after we get done with our activities today.

[Sue]

It does read quickly. I’m simply not as far along as I thought I would be. Should be finished by Wednesday.

[Yvonne]

I’m only about half way but will do my best to get through it for discussion Wednesday.

[Carol]

I am reading so slow these days. I needed three weeks to finish this small book. Then maybe it was the book, because right after that I read another book ,which only took two days.