Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0011443, Tue, 3 May 2005 05:49:41 -0700

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Fwd: Greece, Argus and Ulysses J-3 May
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EDNOTE. This one was a surprise for me too.
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----- Forwarded message from jansy@aetern.us -----
Date: Mon, 2 May 2005 13:31:58 -0300
From: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
Reply-To: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
Subject: Greece, Argus and Ulysses J-3 May
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum Dear List,



There is always a surprise in store when re-reading Ada. Today I realized the
reference to Argus/Penelope/Faithfulness and our Greek homecoming Ulysses.
When Van and Ada prepare for their last encounter ( the "balcony scene at the
Three Swans"), after which they will no longer separete, they almost don´t make
it because " Ada´s Argus had not yet been delivered" ( Ada was not ready?) and
she invited to depart to Greece instead. And added emphasis about
faithful/unfaithful comes with the repeated reference to "saw off" ( C.
husband´s antlers and a good-bye )



I promise to get in touch with you in a day or two, and then we'll go on a
cruise to Greece with the Baynards - they have a yacht and three adorable
daughters who still swim in the tan, okay?'(...) veterinaries had had to saw
off her husband's antlers (...) Ada's Argus had not yet been delivered. The
gloomy black gloss of the hackney Yak (...) He saw her off - and ascended, like
a Cartesian glassman, like spectral Time standing at attention, back to his
desolate fifth floor.



other references to Argus:

1. "Neither of them could imagine the partings that her professional existence
'on location' might necessitate, and neither could imagine their traveling
together to Argus-eyed destinations and living together in Hollywood, U.S.A.,
or Ivydell, England(...)

2. Today is Monday, July 14, 1922, five-thirteen p.m. by my wrist watch, eleven
fifty-two by my car's built-in clock, four-ten by all the timepieces in town
(...)He started working his way west in a dark-blue Argus, dearer to him than
sapphires and morphos because she happened to have ordered an exactly similar
one to be ready for her in Geneva.

Jansy Mello

----- End forwarded message -----
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