• DerEwigeAtheist [she/her, comrade/them]
      ·
      edit-2
      6 months ago

      Engaging with the cultural context of a classic novel is part of reading it. Of course it can be difficult, but it is a russian piece of literature. It is an integral part of what it is, on a conceptual level. If you take that away you have a fundamentally different work. What's the poin then? This is not about ability, at least I don't think so, there is a glossary is there after all(in the better translations at least).

      Like, I agree, fuck the names of obscure political groups from a hundred years ago. Outside of specific contexts they are generally not needed for understanding the theory. But theory is not a narrative novel.

      • ToxicDivinity [comrade/them]
        ·
        6 months ago

        If you take that away you have a fundamentally different work. What's the poin then?

        You're already reading a translation. You're already reading a fundamentally different work

        I agree that it's good to try to understand things that are foreign to you but if that's too difficult then do whatever works best for you it's not a big deal

        • DerEwigeAtheist [she/her, comrade/them]
          ·
          edit-2
          6 months ago

          What tge person in the post there is doing isn't working. Replacing the names in a way that still provides the same context(which is your proposal) would need you to understand exactly why each name is used each time, it is more exhausting than just learning the names. The translation also left the names in place, they didn't try to translate it, because that is a ludicrous idea. I am not sure it is possible.