Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0020580, Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:15:01 -0300

Subject
RES: [NABOKV-L] SKB re: Allan Ginsburg in PF
From
Date
Body
Stan K-B [to Gary Lipon] “for those unconvinced by possible physiognomical
resemblances between Ginsberg and Kinbote, I offer tentative but plausible
support for your suggested model: ALLAN GINSBERG = LENIN¹S GRAB LAG. Here,
Lenin is an obvious symbol for the Zemblan revolutionary regime overthrowing
and hunting down King Charles/Kinbote….both the delay and ultimate failure
in assassinating Kinbote are clearly embedded in the phrase grab lag. QED.”

JM: Mathematicians and linguists can conglomerate any kind of grab lag -
just like Nabokov! Cf. Brian Boyd (AY, p.332): “One cannot compress into a
single English word as much information as Nabokov often has at his disposal
about a particular word in Pushkin, and then expect the English-speaking
reader to infer correctly, say, that “scrab” has been chosen not because its
Russian counterpart is a dialect word for “grab” but because the original
term fuses Russian verbs for “snatch” and “scratch.”* Nabokov’s diligence in
searching so widely for words so exactly right would be exemplary provided
he explained in every case in a separate prose gloss just why he had to
forage so far.”

* - from dialect “tsapat”(to snatch), and “tsarapat” (to scratch) to render
Pushkin’s Russian “tsaptsarap” as “scrab up,” by linking “grab” and
“snatch.” (VN)
btw: Lewis’ transmongrelizers take us only as far as the Bandersnatch.
There’s no scratch of gander or banter.


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/








Attachment