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rolig commented on the word princess marya aleksevna
At the end of the play Woe from Wit (Горе от ума) (1823), by A. S. Griboyedov, after the main character Chatsky delivers a speech condemning the hypocrisy and shallowness of Moscow society and departs, the host of the party, alarmed at what his guests might think of this display of insanity, exclaims: "Oh my God! What will Princess Marya Aleksevna say!" ("�?х! боже мой! Что �?танет говорить Кн�?гин�? Марь�? �?лек�?евна!") This phrase has entered the Russian language and Princess Marya Aleksevna has become a byword for the tyranny of social approval. In England, "Mrs. Grundy", from Thomas Morton's 1798 play Speed the Plough has played a similar role.
October 4, 2008