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Re: from Ron Rosenbaum re "Pale Fire" & EDNote
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PS: I forgot to add that, unless Nabokov states it explicitly, his authorial intentions remain open to various interpretations, although there are many opinions of his to be found in print to reveal his views about poetry, art and artistic projects.
We must keep in mind that VN affirmed (playfully or not) that the poem "Pale Fire" was written by the greatest among the fictional poets, ie, by John Shade. Another explicit comment concerns his opinions about women as translators and as poets (a bleak view, indeed, should Hazel's insufflations have effectively influenced the quality of Shade's poetic expertise... and this means a new level of authorial mischief to take into account?).
----- Original Message -----
From: Jansy
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 6:41 PM
Subject: Re: [NABOKV-L] from Ron Rosenbaum re "Pale Fire" & EDNote
Ron Rosenbaum addresses B.Boyd, and the List: " Is he then, elephant and starfish aside, still willing to assert that he believes the poem "Pale Fire" was meant by VN to be taken as written by the ghost of John Shade's dead daughter? I think this is an important question for the foremost Nabokov biographer to help us clear up[...] And I'd be interested to see if anyone else on the list subscribes to this theory of the poem's authorship. "
JM: There's fiction's fiction - otherwise we all know that even a perturbed Hazel has been authored by Nabokov ( so, why not her ghost?).
I think it perfectly valid to consider that, in one level (ie: of the plot, as concocted by Kinbote, namely, the novel itself) it was Hazel who inspired Shade's hand.
I don't subscribe to this theory ( actually, for me it is easier to believe in fairies and nymphets, than ethereal ghosts), but I don't see why this idea clashes with any subsequent arguments about Nabokov's authorship of the poem taken in isolation.
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We must keep in mind that VN affirmed (playfully or not) that the poem "Pale Fire" was written by the greatest among the fictional poets, ie, by John Shade. Another explicit comment concerns his opinions about women as translators and as poets (a bleak view, indeed, should Hazel's insufflations have effectively influenced the quality of Shade's poetic expertise... and this means a new level of authorial mischief to take into account?).
----- Original Message -----
From: Jansy
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 6:41 PM
Subject: Re: [NABOKV-L] from Ron Rosenbaum re "Pale Fire" & EDNote
Ron Rosenbaum addresses B.Boyd, and the List: " Is he then, elephant and starfish aside, still willing to assert that he believes the poem "Pale Fire" was meant by VN to be taken as written by the ghost of John Shade's dead daughter? I think this is an important question for the foremost Nabokov biographer to help us clear up[...] And I'd be interested to see if anyone else on the list subscribes to this theory of the poem's authorship. "
JM: There's fiction's fiction - otherwise we all know that even a perturbed Hazel has been authored by Nabokov ( so, why not her ghost?).
I think it perfectly valid to consider that, in one level (ie: of the plot, as concocted by Kinbote, namely, the novel itself) it was Hazel who inspired Shade's hand.
I don't subscribe to this theory ( actually, for me it is easier to believe in fairies and nymphets, than ethereal ghosts), but I don't see why this idea clashes with any subsequent arguments about Nabokov's authorship of the poem taken in isolation.
Search the archive Contact the Editors Visit "Nabokov Online Journal"
Visit Zembla View Nabokv-L Policies Manage subscription options
All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by both co-editors.
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/