Subject
Re: ADA queries
From
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Dear Brian,
I didn't say that Nabokov is playing on "the translation of a passage in
Dostoevsky"! No, he is using the entire epilogue to "The Adolescent"
(written by a John-Ray-Junioresque character; the rest of the novel is the
first person narration) as a material on which he builds his Family
Chronicle. There are a lot of parallels between ADA and "Podrostok,"
particularly its epilogue. You only have to read the latter in order to make
certain of those parallels' existence. "Upper-upper-class" is but one of the
many covert allusions in ADA to Dostoevsky.
Jansy in her reply to you mentioned King Alphonse of Portugal. In ADA, the
future Alphonse II ("Alph") appears in Part Three, chapter 3. That chapter
begins with Van entering the Alphonse Four hotel in which Lucette stays. Its
concierge was dubbed by Van in his "blazer days" 'Alphonce Cinq.' In my
opinion, that nickname is a play on the name of a minor character in "The
Adolescent," Alfonsinka (a Russified deminutive of the French female name
"Alphonsine"). But you seem to ignore even this obvious allusion!
By the way, I think I found a missing link between "Portuguese" (or rather
"Vascodagamian") allusions in ADA and allusions to Russian authors. But my
find will make no sense to List members until my previous message (my second
detailed reply to your query) is posted.
best,
Alexey
----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To:
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 11:16 PM
Subject: Fwd: RE: ADA queries
> Dear respondents,
>
> Thank you all for your responses. I had seen the acetylene, and Mary
> provides a possible metaphorical explanation, but Carolyn triggered a
> more likely non-metaphorical answer (notice that there are carbide lamps
> two pages later, Carolyn). Jansy's virtual negative response on
> Brazilian class systems also triggered a different kind of realization.
> Why are you "quite certain," Alexey, that Nabokov is playing on the
> translation of a passage in Dostoevsky? After all, "upper-middle-class"
> is a very common compound-which is precisely what makes VN's
> "upper-upper-class" such a good joke.
>
> If Carolyn and Mary would let me know what towns they live in, since I
> identify contributors in the Acknowledgments on ADAonline by name and
> location, I would be very grateful.
>
> Brian Boyd
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
----- End forwarded message -----
I didn't say that Nabokov is playing on "the translation of a passage in
Dostoevsky"! No, he is using the entire epilogue to "The Adolescent"
(written by a John-Ray-Junioresque character; the rest of the novel is the
first person narration) as a material on which he builds his Family
Chronicle. There are a lot of parallels between ADA and "Podrostok,"
particularly its epilogue. You only have to read the latter in order to make
certain of those parallels' existence. "Upper-upper-class" is but one of the
many covert allusions in ADA to Dostoevsky.
Jansy in her reply to you mentioned King Alphonse of Portugal. In ADA, the
future Alphonse II ("Alph") appears in Part Three, chapter 3. That chapter
begins with Van entering the Alphonse Four hotel in which Lucette stays. Its
concierge was dubbed by Van in his "blazer days" 'Alphonce Cinq.' In my
opinion, that nickname is a play on the name of a minor character in "The
Adolescent," Alfonsinka (a Russified deminutive of the French female name
"Alphonsine"). But you seem to ignore even this obvious allusion!
By the way, I think I found a missing link between "Portuguese" (or rather
"Vascodagamian") allusions in ADA and allusions to Russian authors. But my
find will make no sense to List members until my previous message (my second
detailed reply to your query) is posted.
best,
Alexey
----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To:
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 11:16 PM
Subject: Fwd: RE: ADA queries
> Dear respondents,
>
> Thank you all for your responses. I had seen the acetylene, and Mary
> provides a possible metaphorical explanation, but Carolyn triggered a
> more likely non-metaphorical answer (notice that there are carbide lamps
> two pages later, Carolyn). Jansy's virtual negative response on
> Brazilian class systems also triggered a different kind of realization.
> Why are you "quite certain," Alexey, that Nabokov is playing on the
> translation of a passage in Dostoevsky? After all, "upper-middle-class"
> is a very common compound-which is precisely what makes VN's
> "upper-upper-class" such a good joke.
>
> If Carolyn and Mary would let me know what towns they live in, since I
> identify contributors in the Acknowledgments on ADAonline by name and
> location, I would be very grateful.
>
> Brian Boyd
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
----- End forwarded message -----