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Re: Christianity in Pale Fire
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Christianity in Pale FireDear Carolyn,
I think that many of the references to Christianity you mentioned are indirect ( albeit mostly well founded) and depend on the reader's interpretation of the text. I'll add to them direct quotes ( hoping not to invade the discussion in a too literal way) :
In Kinbote's foreword we have the biblical "only a small fraction of the composition he saw in a glass, darkly" ( Old Testament) and also the scene that reminded him of a backyard "auto-da-fé".
Shade acknowledges that "My God died young. Teolatry I found/Degrading, and its premises unsound. No free man needs a God; but was I free?/" ( he had been a Protestant).
Also on lines 224/230 "The seraph with his six flamingo wings,/ And Flemish hells with porcupines and things?".
There is the irony in "The grand potato" ( Rabelais reference to God as "peut-être", a great "perhaps") .
A spiritualist longing for "an after life" is not necessarily exempt of Christian influence, as are references to "Hell"as we can check with K's note to line 493: " a serious conception of any form of afterlife inevitably and necessarily presuposes some degreee of belief in Providence; and, conversely, deep Christian faith presupposes some belief in some sort of spiritual survival... In fact, a good Zemblan Christian is taught that true faith is not there to suppply... Ecstatically one forefeels the wastness of the Divine Embrace...When the soul adores Him Who guides it through mortal life, when it distinguishes His sign at every turn of the trail..."
Kinbote, in his commentary could write: " and I knew that whatever my agnostic friend might say in denial, at that moment Our Lord was with him". Also, on Line 549: " For a Christian, no Beyond is acceptable or imaginable without the participation of God in our eternal destiny... I had mentioned...certain differences between my Church and his...Zemblan brand of Protestantism is rather closely related to the 'higher' churches of the Anglican Communion... The Reformation...;our liturgy... Sybil Shade came from a Catholic family... She had weaned her husband not only from the Episcopal Church of his fathers, but from all forms of sacramental worship..." Plus discussions bt. K and Shade on Original Sin, Cain and Abel, Higher Intelligence... and a lot about Saint Agostine. I'm trying to find the right name for that Universal Mind, or First Cause,or the Absolute, or Nature, I submit that the Name of God has priority".
The scholars are Donne, Pope, even Samuel Johnson cannot be understood if we exclude his Protestant England culture. There is Catholic T.S.Eliot, religious Oskar Pfister. Even the word "philistines" has a biblical ring.
Despite all the depreciative remarks, religious themes abound. Even in the Index there is an entry for "religion" ( items: contact with God; the Pope; freedom of mind; problem of sin and faith; see suicide.)
Jansy
......................................................................................
Excerpt from Carolyn Kunin's note to Jerry Friedman's "No other Christianity is mentioned in the book, right? (Except the Pope.)" "Besides the Pope, I can recall (St.) Francis Xavier, and St. Augustine and "dear Jesus" are mentioned. Also two of the three Magi (Balthasar and Melchior) are mentioned by name and the third Caspar may be referred to (the dark gardener who Kinbote arrays in eastern finery)."
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I think that many of the references to Christianity you mentioned are indirect ( albeit mostly well founded) and depend on the reader's interpretation of the text. I'll add to them direct quotes ( hoping not to invade the discussion in a too literal way) :
In Kinbote's foreword we have the biblical "only a small fraction of the composition he saw in a glass, darkly" ( Old Testament) and also the scene that reminded him of a backyard "auto-da-fé".
Shade acknowledges that "My God died young. Teolatry I found/Degrading, and its premises unsound. No free man needs a God; but was I free?/" ( he had been a Protestant).
Also on lines 224/230 "The seraph with his six flamingo wings,/ And Flemish hells with porcupines and things?".
There is the irony in "The grand potato" ( Rabelais reference to God as "peut-être", a great "perhaps") .
A spiritualist longing for "an after life" is not necessarily exempt of Christian influence, as are references to "Hell"as we can check with K's note to line 493: " a serious conception of any form of afterlife inevitably and necessarily presuposes some degreee of belief in Providence; and, conversely, deep Christian faith presupposes some belief in some sort of spiritual survival... In fact, a good Zemblan Christian is taught that true faith is not there to suppply... Ecstatically one forefeels the wastness of the Divine Embrace...When the soul adores Him Who guides it through mortal life, when it distinguishes His sign at every turn of the trail..."
Kinbote, in his commentary could write: " and I knew that whatever my agnostic friend might say in denial, at that moment Our Lord was with him". Also, on Line 549: " For a Christian, no Beyond is acceptable or imaginable without the participation of God in our eternal destiny... I had mentioned...certain differences between my Church and his...Zemblan brand of Protestantism is rather closely related to the 'higher' churches of the Anglican Communion... The Reformation...;our liturgy... Sybil Shade came from a Catholic family... She had weaned her husband not only from the Episcopal Church of his fathers, but from all forms of sacramental worship..." Plus discussions bt. K and Shade on Original Sin, Cain and Abel, Higher Intelligence... and a lot about Saint Agostine. I'm trying to find the right name for that Universal Mind, or First Cause,or the Absolute, or Nature, I submit that the Name of God has priority".
The scholars are Donne, Pope, even Samuel Johnson cannot be understood if we exclude his Protestant England culture. There is Catholic T.S.Eliot, religious Oskar Pfister. Even the word "philistines" has a biblical ring.
Despite all the depreciative remarks, religious themes abound. Even in the Index there is an entry for "religion" ( items: contact with God; the Pope; freedom of mind; problem of sin and faith; see suicide.)
Jansy
......................................................................................
Excerpt from Carolyn Kunin's note to Jerry Friedman's "No other Christianity is mentioned in the book, right? (Except the Pope.)" "Besides the Pope, I can recall (St.) Francis Xavier, and St. Augustine and "dear Jesus" are mentioned. Also two of the three Magi (Balthasar and Melchior) are mentioned by name and the third Caspar may be referred to (the dark gardener who Kinbote arrays in eastern finery)."
Search the archive: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/archives/nabokv-l.html
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