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Fw: more on quilty
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EDNOTE. This is worth more than the 2 cents
----- Original Message -----
From: Will Schultz
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2002 9:24 AM
Subject: more on quilty
My two cents:
I haven't got my copy of the novel handy, but if I recall correctly, not long before the phrase
"..qu'il t'y méne.." , HH's narration refers rather mockingly to the genre of detective literature that drops broad hints to the solution in italics. So then, of course, shortly thereafter, because the phrase is in French, it appears in italics ! A wonderful typically Nabokovian joke for the informed reader. The translation - "that he lead you there" or "that he should lead you there" (subjunctive tense) - leads my mind to an obvious interpretation: "that the author lead you (us the readers)" to a finding, in this case, the all-important solution to the "detective mystery" - who abducted Lolita?
will schultz
----- Original Message -----
From: Will Schultz
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2002 9:24 AM
Subject: more on quilty
My two cents:
I haven't got my copy of the novel handy, but if I recall correctly, not long before the phrase
"..qu'il t'y méne.." , HH's narration refers rather mockingly to the genre of detective literature that drops broad hints to the solution in italics. So then, of course, shortly thereafter, because the phrase is in French, it appears in italics ! A wonderful typically Nabokovian joke for the informed reader. The translation - "that he lead you there" or "that he should lead you there" (subjunctive tense) - leads my mind to an obvious interpretation: "that the author lead you (us the readers)" to a finding, in this case, the all-important solution to the "detective mystery" - who abducted Lolita?
will schultz