Subject
Query: Nabokov's statues
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Date
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I am wondering about the statues occuring in VN's fiction. Invitation to a
Beheading has a statue of Captain Somnus (in the Penguin edition it is on
pp. 63, 185, 187), which links nicely with the nightmare quality of the
story; and in "The Return of Chorb" there is a statue of Orpheus (the
Vintage edition p. 153) - this also seems logical considering Chorb's
quest for the perfect image of his dead wife.
But what about the Herzog statues which can be found several places:
In King, Queen, Knave (the Vintage edition) p. 2 : "the great stone Herzog
in the square..."
And in The Stories of VN (also Vintage):
"The Return of Chorb" p. 151: "Upon turning into the boulevard he walked
faster. A square. A stone Herzog."
"A Nursery Tale" p. 165: "Pigeons settled on an old stone Herzog."
"A Dashing Fellow" p. 267: "Further on there was a small stone Herzog."
Herzog is German for duke, but is that it? Or is there some historical
figure, which these statues allude to? - I have been looking in several
dictionaries on and off-line, but I can't figure out who or what...
Best,
Ole Nyegaard, Aarhus
----- End forwarded message -----
Beheading has a statue of Captain Somnus (in the Penguin edition it is on
pp. 63, 185, 187), which links nicely with the nightmare quality of the
story; and in "The Return of Chorb" there is a statue of Orpheus (the
Vintage edition p. 153) - this also seems logical considering Chorb's
quest for the perfect image of his dead wife.
But what about the Herzog statues which can be found several places:
In King, Queen, Knave (the Vintage edition) p. 2 : "the great stone Herzog
in the square..."
And in The Stories of VN (also Vintage):
"The Return of Chorb" p. 151: "Upon turning into the boulevard he walked
faster. A square. A stone Herzog."
"A Nursery Tale" p. 165: "Pigeons settled on an old stone Herzog."
"A Dashing Fellow" p. 267: "Further on there was a small stone Herzog."
Herzog is German for duke, but is that it? Or is there some historical
figure, which these statues allude to? - I have been looking in several
dictionaries on and off-line, but I can't figure out who or what...
Best,
Ole Nyegaard, Aarhus
----- End forwarded message -----