Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0007938, Fri, 13 Jun 2003 20:38:43 -0700

Subject
ANNOUNCEMENT : The What Nabokov Read website
Date
Body
EDNOTE. Michael Juliar, as many of you know, is Nabokov's most distinguished
bibliographer. His _Vladimir Nabokov. A Descriptive Bibliography_ (Garland:
New York, 1986) is a fundamental research tool for all literary scholars and
collectors. Below, he launches a new enterprise---an on-going
bibliographical website entitled "What Nabokov Read" (WNR). Michael, a
computer programmer by profession and Nabokovian by passion, has created a
unique online format enabling any reader to list and comment on any text
that Nabokov ever read. This project has the potential to become a landmark
in Nabokov studies and, furthermore, one to which all of us contribution.
A brief description follows. For further information, go to
www.juliar.com/wnr.
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From: Michael Juliar (michael@juliar.com)

One of the main themes woven through the discussions on this list server
are those asking about and commenting on the cultural artifacts that
Nabokov was familiar with--that is, the questions of what Nabokov 'read'
and how he used those 'readings' in his works. In order to help Nabokov
scholars and enthusiasts keep track of these insights in a structured way,
I have created a website called What Nabokov Read (WNR).

The website's URL is www.juliar.com/wnr. What you see on WNR now is a test
version populated with gobbledygook and dummy data. I encourage everyone to
go to the site, play around with it, register yourself (only temporarily for
now), enter data, and see if the site meets your needs. Of course, I
strongly encourage feedback: what's murky, what's missing, what's
awkward,what doesn't make sense. And maybe what's good about it.

Once the flurry of rubbernecking has subsided and your feedback says you
can't wait any longer, I will scour the database and let you enter real
data, real commentary, real insights and discoveries. I hope that that is
only days away.

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Here is a more detailed overview of WNR:

WNR is the center for discussions, insights, and discoveries about what
Vladimir Nabokov "read" and how he used that material in his writings.
Passages from his works referring or alluding to literary, journalistic,
trivial, and ephemeral writings and photographs, motion pictures, paintings,
and advertisements he saw are gathered here and commented on in an organized
and retrievable way.

> Contributions and Threads

Anyone can make a contribution tying a Nabokov passage from one of his
works to, for example, a novel he read, a photo he saw, or a film he
enjoyed. Multiple contributions about one passage from a Nabokov work and
one passage from an "author" he read are organized into discussion threads.
Anyone can search for and view the contributions and threads.

> Making a Submission

Only a registered, logged-in contributor can submit a new contribution. In
that case, he must first do a search to find out if the thread is already in
the database. If it is, he can add a contribution to the thread. If it
isn't, he can begin a new thread.

> Registration

A contributor is linked to his contribution in two ways: as the creator of
the insight or discovery; and, as the submitter of the contribution. To
register as a contributor, go to the Register as contributor page. You can
request that someone who is not going to submit contributions to this
website (he is dead or doesn't have internet access) become a legacy
contributor.

> Changes

Once a contribution has been submitted, it cannot be changed or deleted.
Further thoughts and modifications must be made by extending the thread with
another contribution.
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Acknowledgements

The WNR website was created with the ideas, encouragement, and help of Jeff
Edmunds and Brian Boyd.