I was reading in my recent issue of
Harper's a review of a new book of the letters Vladimir Nabokov wrote to his wife over the course of a 50-year marriage. I was startled by the following casual observation:
[The Nabokovs] were born in St. Petersburg — he in 1899, she in 1902 — and both were de-citizened by revolution in 1917. Before their marriage in 1925, Vladimir, following a tradition among Russian litterateurs, handed over an intercourse résumé. Here’s everybody. It contained twenty-eight names.
I had never heard of such a tradition. Does it continue, or is there a modern counterpart? (Googling the two words leads one wildly astray...)
a russian orthodox thing? or a bolshevik thing?
ReplyDeleteI-)
I can't say as I've ever written anything like this but, my partners have always known my past partners (even those that aren't disclosed publicly). I've just always considered it fair and right. Now I know some people that really don't want to know anything about their partner's previous relationships so, I guess it's all about personal preferences.
ReplyDeleteI use the term intercourse instead of "sex" to describe intimate human relation. It boggles my mind when people argue with me that I'm using the word wrong. I just tell them to look it up. I may be wrong by not putting "sexual" in front of intercourse but thats an argument for after they have looked up the words.
ReplyDeleteYou are totally correct gramatically. "Intercourse" does not necessarily mandate sexual activity.
DeleteInterdigital intercourse sounds better than just holding hands.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the tradition had to do with 1) status and 2) sexually transmitted diseases, in an era before reliable barrier protection and disease testing. Perhaps one's partners was thought to provide insight into a person's societal ranking. And maybe there was a theory that being aware of past partners with STDs would help the new partner avoid contracting one.
ReplyDeletesince this is British, we 'mericans can assume it is a proper usage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwTqC2T6q4E at around 4:24 in the video
ReplyDeleteI watched the whole video; I always enjoy the Pythons. Tx for the link.
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