Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0006728, Tue, 3 Sep 2002 10:18:28 -0700

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Addenda to Akiko Nakata's notes on Wittgenstein & TT
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Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2002 3:55 AM
Subject: Re: "Wittgenstein Echoes in TRANSPARENT THINGS"

I would like to add two Wittgenstein clues I have found after writing the article: "MondSTEIN Sexy" (Ch. 15) and "the dream of a Lutwidgean" (Ch. 12). As for the latter, I used to consider it to be Mr. R's (and Nabokov's) pedantic challenge if the reader notices Lewis Carroll behind the name, but now I think that the name was chosen because it would remind us of Wittgenstein's first name.


Akiko Nakata
a-nakata@courante.plala.or.jp
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EDITOR's NOTE. The latter suggestion re "Lutwidgean" (<Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) and Ludwig W. looks quite plausible. VN was very fond of multiple layers of allusion. The primary one, of course, stems from Hugh Person's perusal of nude childhood photos of Armande. The secondary one -- Ludwig Wittgenstein -- prove more pervasive.

BTW, one charming bit of Lutwidgiana that VN probably didn't realize was that Lewis Carroll's real name works out anagrammatically as
Old dog watches nude girls (by Ron Young)

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