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Re: Fwd: Greece, Argus and Ulysses J-3 May
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According to Wikipedia, there were five Arguses in Greek mythology.
There are two, possibly three here. "Argus-eyed" refers to the
giant with 100 eyes who Hermes lulled to sleep. Jansy points out
that the reference to Argus at Van and Ada's reunion connects with
Odysseus's dog Argus, which recognized him when he returned to
Ithaca. That seems to refer to a car, but we can imagine the car
is named for the builder of the _Argo_, Jason's ship. (And it's
dark blue--is that anything like wine-dark?)
I was hoping that made a clean sweep, since those are the three
Arguses mentioned in Arthur C. Clarke's sf novel _Imperial Earth_
(I'm afraid I don't get my information on mythology from the
original sources), but apparently there are two more: the son of
Zeus and Niobe who became king of Phoronea (named after Niobe's
father) and renamed it Argos after himself, and someone who the
Argonauts rescued and who helped them on their quest. If anyone
wants to look for more Arguses.
Speaking of Wikipedia, I wrote a good part of the article on
_Pale Fire_. If that makes any of the experts here think it
could use critical attention, I think it would be great if you
revised that or any other Nabokov articles.
Jerry Friedman
--- "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu> wrote:
> EDNOTE. This one was a surprise for me too.
> ---------------------------------------------------
>
> ----- 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 -----
>
---------------------------------
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 well 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 husbands antlers (...) Adas 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 cars 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
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
----- End forwarded message -----
There are two, possibly three here. "Argus-eyed" refers to the
giant with 100 eyes who Hermes lulled to sleep. Jansy points out
that the reference to Argus at Van and Ada's reunion connects with
Odysseus's dog Argus, which recognized him when he returned to
Ithaca. That seems to refer to a car, but we can imagine the car
is named for the builder of the _Argo_, Jason's ship. (And it's
dark blue--is that anything like wine-dark?)
I was hoping that made a clean sweep, since those are the three
Arguses mentioned in Arthur C. Clarke's sf novel _Imperial Earth_
(I'm afraid I don't get my information on mythology from the
original sources), but apparently there are two more: the son of
Zeus and Niobe who became king of Phoronea (named after Niobe's
father) and renamed it Argos after himself, and someone who the
Argonauts rescued and who helped them on their quest. If anyone
wants to look for more Arguses.
Speaking of Wikipedia, I wrote a good part of the article on
_Pale Fire_. If that makes any of the experts here think it
could use critical attention, I think it would be great if you
revised that or any other Nabokov articles.
Jerry Friedman
--- "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu> wrote:
> EDNOTE. This one was a surprise for me too.
> ---------------------------------------------------
>
> ----- 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 -----
>
---------------------------------
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 well 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 husbands antlers (...) Adas 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 cars 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
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
----- End forwarded message -----