Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0011669, Wed, 10 Aug 2005 09:27:50 -0700

Subject
Re: Fwd: Re: "Organs of Locomotion" in ADA
Date
Body
Dear List,
But the point lies in VN´s applying the term to the hands, which are not
organs of locomotion in humans, and VN´s Latin/Greek other expressions
concerning Van´s abilities: "maniambulatory acts" and "brachyambulations".
Jansy

----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 1:10 PM
Subject: Fwd: Re: "Organs of Locomotion" in ADA


> ----- Forwarded message from costine@gmail.com -----
> Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 07:14:31 -0400
> From: Cody Owen Stine <costine@gmail.com>
> Reply-To: Cody Owen Stine <costine@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: "Organs of Locomotion" in ADA
> To: chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu
>
> Dear List:
>
> On the simplest level (and forgive me if this is too simple and you've
> already thought of it), "organs of locomotion" is a real phrase used
> by scientists to mean, well, exactly what it sounds like it would
> mean--in humans, the organs of locomotion are the legs and feet.
> There is some mild irony in VN's use of the phrase to refer to Van's
> hands, as it is a phrase so strongly associated with the foot; indeed,
> scientists sometimes use the word "foot" colloquially when referring
> to what is more properly the organ of locomotion in an invertebrate.
> See, for example, OED:
>
> foot 2.a. Viewed with regard to its function, as the organ of
locomotion....
>
>
> foot 11.a. Zool. Applied to various organs of locomotion or attachment
> belonging to certain invertebrate animals; in more precise technical
> language distinguished by special names, as ambulacrum, podium,
> pseudopodium, etc.
>
>
> And so forth. Nabokov the entomologist would certainly have been
> familiar with this scientific or pseudo-scientific vocabulary. There
> may be more going on here, of course, but I thought that at the very
> least VN is playing with confusing or conflating foot/hand
> terminology.
>
> Best,
>
> Cody Owen Stine
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
>

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