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Fwd: Ah, cette Line
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----- Forwarded message from chaiselongue@earthlink.net -----
Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2005 11:28:17 -0800
From: Carolyn Kunin <chaiselongue@earthlink.net>
Reply-To: Carolyn Kunin <chaiselongue@earthlink.net>
Subject: Ah, cette Line
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum I've thought that "Ah, cette Line" might be
acetylene. But why?
Possible link to electric & water motifs:
In 1895, Henri Moissan discovered that calcium carbide and water produced
acetylene gas, and burning acetylene produced light. For the next ten years,
acetylene producers flourished until the lower cost of electric and coal gas
lighting collapsed the acetylene market.
Possible links to poison/narcotic/murder motifs:
ACETYLENE IS A SIMPLE ASPHYXIANT, IRRITANT, AND ANESTHETIC.
AS A NARCOTIC GAS OR INTOXICANT CAUSES HYPERCAPNIA (AN
EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE BLOOD).
ACUTE EFFECTS: SYMPTOMS SUCH AS HEADACHES, DIZZINESS,
SHORTNESS OF BREATH, AND LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS MAY OCCUR IF
THE GAS IS PRESENT IN QUANTITIES SUFFICIENT TO DILUTE THE
OXYGEN CONCENTRATION IN AIR. SYMPTOMS OF ANOXIA(ABSENCE OF
OXYGEN).
There also seems to be a chemistry motif in Ada. There is at least one
chemist in that family tree & I thought a few times I spotted a possible
reference to Rimsky-Korsakov (chemist & composer) in the novel.
Carolyn
----- End forwarded message -----