The Russian Context

Eloise M. Boyle and Genevra Gerhart, eds., The Russian Context: The Culture behind the Language. Bloomington, IN: Slavica Publishers, July 2002, 726 p. + CD-ROM disk (ISBN 00-89357-287-X), paper, $49.95. LC 2002002613.

This remarkable volume is a collectively authored monograph which sets itself the daunting task of quantifying the minimum level of cultural literacy necessary for serious foreign learners of Russian to appreciate and function properly in the Russian cultural context. The book consists of the 12 chapters listed below, covering the full spectrum of Russian culture, but most importantly, the book is bundled with a CD-ROM disk enriched by nearly 1,800 graphic and sound files which could not be included in the printed book. The CD will run on any computer with at least a Pentium- or PPC-level processor and basic media support installed, and is fully platform-independent.
To quote from the Foreword (by Barry Scherr, Provost of Dartmouth College):

".... the ability to comprehend what one reads or hears requires a knowledge not just of the language, but of cultural referents called forth by various words and phrases [images, and sounds]. The 'Russian context' ... is infinitely rich and varied; in a way it may be even more difficult to become 'fluent' in a language's context than in the language itself, but this volume will provide readers with an excellent start."

Additional features of the book include:

The additional media files include recordings of nearly all Russian sentences in Russian by Russians, extensive examples of modern music that might not be readily available, and numerous additional illustrations, many in color.
Marginal notes in the book indicate when additional materials are provided on the cd-rom disk.
All Russian words, phrases, and texts are translated alongside the original.
Extensive indexes in both English and Russian.
Russian is always given in bold-face type, making it easy to spot at a glance.

Additional information and links accompanying The Russian Context:

Genevra Gerhart maintains a web page devoted to The Russian Context and its companion The Russian's World (also available from Slavica) at http://www.genevragerhart.com/
Slavica maintains a page of links to additional Russian cultural material found on the internet. These links were not included on the CD-ROM because of the inherent transitory nature of the internet: pages come and go at unpredictable intervals. Bookmark the link page and check back occasionally for new and updated links.

(You may click any links to read the full content of that section; you may also download a sample of the CD-ROM via the link below.)

Foreword (Barry Scherr)
Editors' Preface
Acknowledgments

Part One. A Framework for the Russian Context

1. Russia's History (William J. Comer)

Part Two. Contexts in Language

Literature
2. Quoting Russian Poetry (Valentina Zaitseva)
3. Quoting Russian Prose (Valentina Zaitseva)
4. Children's Literature (Robert Rothstein and Halina Weiss)
5. Proverbs (Olga T. Yokoyama)

Part Three. Contexts of Spectacle

6. Theater in Language (Eloise M. Boyle)
7. Music and Dance (Thomas J. Garza)
8. Art and the Language of Russian Culture (James D. West), with Appendix (Michael Ivanov)
9. Popular Entertainment (Ludmila Pruner)

Part Four. Contexts in Reality

10. Geography (Genevra Gerhart)
11. Government and Language (Lawrence Mansour)
12. Science as Language (Olga T. Yokoyama), with Appendix (Alexander Prokhorov)

Appendixes

1. A Note on Transliteration
2. Geographical Designations
3. Periodical Titles
4. Finding Russian Content on the Internet
5. Using the CD-ROM
6. Bibliography
7. About the Authors

Indexes

Index of First or Famous Lines
Russian Index
English Index

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