Read Online The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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felt remorse at having gone too far. He suddenly turned to the prince and his face seemed traversed by the uneasy thought that the prince was there and had heard everything. He was, however, instantly reassured: one look at the prince was enough to entirely reassure him.
‘Oho!’ the general exclaimed, looking at the specimen of calligraphy the prince was presenting. ‘Now there’s a sample for you! And a rare one, too! Come and take a look, Ganya, what talent!’
On a thick sheet of vellum the prince had written in medieval Russian script: ‘The humble Abbot Pafnuty hath signed this with his hand.’
‘Now this,’ the prince explained with great delight and enthusiasm, ‘this is the personal signature of the Abbot Pafnuty, from a fourteenth-century copy. They had magnificent signatures, all those old abbots and metropolitans of ours, and sometimes wrote them with such taste, such diligence! You must have Pogodin’s edition, at least, general? Then here I’ve written in a different script: this is a large round French script of the last century, some letters were even written differently, a script of the market place, a script of the public scribes, adapted from their samples (I used to own one) — you’ll agree that it’s not without its merits. Look at those round d’s and a’s. I’ve transferred the French style to the Russian letters, which is very difficult, but it’s worked out well. Here is another fine, original script, in this sentence: “Hard work conquers all.” 1 This is a Russian script, used by clerks, or possibly military clerks. It was used to write official memos to persons of importance, and it’s also a round script, a wonderful black script, written in black but with remarkable taste. A calligraphist would not allow those flourishes or, rather, those attempts at flourishes, those unfinished half-tails - you will observe - but taken as a whole, look, it makes their character, and truly, the very soul of the military clerk peeps out: it would like to break loose, and the talent is there; but the military collar is tightly buttoned, the discipline has come out in the script, too, delightful! I was struck by a sample of this kind not long ago, found it by chance, and where do you suppose? In Switzerland! Well, and this is a plain, ordinary English script: elegance can go no further, here all is charm, beads, pearls; it’s quite perfect; but here’s a variation, and again a French one, I copied it from a travelling French commis: 2 the same English script, but the black line a touch blacker and thicker than in the English one - and the proportion of light has been destroyed; and observe also: the oval has been changed, a touch rounder, and in addition a flourish has been permitted, but flourishes are a most dangerous thing! Flourishes demand unusual taste; but if they succeed, if the proportion is found, then a script like that is not to be compared with any other, so much so that one may even fall in love with it.’
‘Oho! What subtleties you’re entering into,’ laughed the general, ‘but you, sir, are not merely a calligrapher, you’re an artist, eh, Ganya?’
‘Astonishing,’ said Ganya, ‘And even with an awareness of his calling,’ he added, laughing sarcastically.
‘Laugh, laugh, but I’ll tell you, there’s a career in this,’ said the general. ‘Do you know how important the person is, the one we shall give you memos to write to? Why, you can count on earning thirty-five roubles a month, from your very first step. But it’s already half-past twelve,’ he concluded, glancing at his watch. ‘To business, Prince, for I must hurry, and you and I may not meet again today! Sit down for a moment; I have already explained to you that I am not in a position to meet you very often; but I sincerely wish to help you a little, a little, of course, that’s to say in the form of the most necessary things, and after that you shall do as you please. I’ll give you a little
‘Oho!’ the general exclaimed, looking at the specimen of calligraphy the prince was presenting. ‘Now there’s a sample for you! And a rare one, too! Come and take a look, Ganya, what talent!’
On a thick sheet of vellum the prince had written in medieval Russian script: ‘The humble Abbot Pafnuty hath signed this with his hand.’
‘Now this,’ the prince explained with great delight and enthusiasm, ‘this is the personal signature of the Abbot Pafnuty, from a fourteenth-century copy. They had magnificent signatures, all those old abbots and metropolitans of ours, and sometimes wrote them with such taste, such diligence! You must have Pogodin’s edition, at least, general? Then here I’ve written in a different script: this is a large round French script of the last century, some letters were even written differently, a script of the market place, a script of the public scribes, adapted from their samples (I used to own one) — you’ll agree that it’s not without its merits. Look at those round d’s and a’s. I’ve transferred the French style to the Russian letters, which is very difficult, but it’s worked out well. Here is another fine, original script, in this sentence: “Hard work conquers all.” 1 This is a Russian script, used by clerks, or possibly military clerks. It was used to write official memos to persons of importance, and it’s also a round script, a wonderful black script, written in black but with remarkable taste. A calligraphist would not allow those flourishes or, rather, those attempts at flourishes, those unfinished half-tails - you will observe - but taken as a whole, look, it makes their character, and truly, the very soul of the military clerk peeps out: it would like to break loose, and the talent is there; but the military collar is tightly buttoned, the discipline has come out in the script, too, delightful! I was struck by a sample of this kind not long ago, found it by chance, and where do you suppose? In Switzerland! Well, and this is a plain, ordinary English script: elegance can go no further, here all is charm, beads, pearls; it’s quite perfect; but here’s a variation, and again a French one, I copied it from a travelling French commis: 2 the same English script, but the black line a touch blacker and thicker than in the English one - and the proportion of light has been destroyed; and observe also: the oval has been changed, a touch rounder, and in addition a flourish has been permitted, but flourishes are a most dangerous thing! Flourishes demand unusual taste; but if they succeed, if the proportion is found, then a script like that is not to be compared with any other, so much so that one may even fall in love with it.’
‘Oho! What subtleties you’re entering into,’ laughed the general, ‘but you, sir, are not merely a calligrapher, you’re an artist, eh, Ganya?’
‘Astonishing,’ said Ganya, ‘And even with an awareness of his calling,’ he added, laughing sarcastically.
‘Laugh, laugh, but I’ll tell you, there’s a career in this,’ said the general. ‘Do you know how important the person is, the one we shall give you memos to write to? Why, you can count on earning thirty-five roubles a month, from your very first step. But it’s already half-past twelve,’ he concluded, glancing at his watch. ‘To business, Prince, for I must hurry, and you and I may not meet again today! Sit down for a moment; I have already explained to you that I am not in a position to meet you very often; but I sincerely wish to help you a little, a little, of course, that’s to say in the form of the most necessary things, and after that you shall do as you please. I’ll give you a little
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