Subject
DN on an (un) ambiguous referent in translations of "Terra
Incognita"
Incognita"
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Date
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A reply for Sam Schuman:
Glad to oblige. Any ambiguity can, in fact, be definitively dispelled by
checking the original Russian:
"Последним моим движеиием было раскрытъ сырую от пота КНИЖКУ, -- надо
было кое-что эаписать непременно, -- увы, ---ОНА выскольэнула у меня иэ
рук, я пошарил ПО ОДЕЯЛУ, -- но ЕЕ уже не было". [Caps mine]
The referents "OHA" [nom.] and "EE" [acc.] are feminine and therefore
cannot refer to "ОДЕЯЛО" (blanket), which, in Russian, is neuter. They
clearly refer, instead, to the feminine "КНИЖКА" (book).
"The book" was, in fact, deleted from the later editions because it was
superfluous, and the only reasons for retaining it would have been
considerations of rhythm or style, which I felt, were less important
than an accurately translated, concise conclusion. Besides, if the final
"it" were to designate the blanket, I would have written "I groped for
the blanket", rather than "along the blanket", since one cannot grope
"along" an object that is, putatively or potentially, not extant.
With warm regards to you and compliments to your alert students,
Dmitri
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Glad to oblige. Any ambiguity can, in fact, be definitively dispelled by
checking the original Russian:
"Последним моим движеиием было раскрытъ сырую от пота КНИЖКУ, -- надо
было кое-что эаписать непременно, -- увы, ---ОНА выскольэнула у меня иэ
рук, я пошарил ПО ОДЕЯЛУ, -- но ЕЕ уже не было". [Caps mine]
The referents "OHA" [nom.] and "EE" [acc.] are feminine and therefore
cannot refer to "ОДЕЯЛО" (blanket), which, in Russian, is neuter. They
clearly refer, instead, to the feminine "КНИЖКА" (book).
"The book" was, in fact, deleted from the later editions because it was
superfluous, and the only reasons for retaining it would have been
considerations of rhythm or style, which I felt, were less important
than an accurately translated, concise conclusion. Besides, if the final
"it" were to designate the blanket, I would have written "I groped for
the blanket", rather than "along the blanket", since one cannot grope
"along" an object that is, putatively or potentially, not extant.
With warm regards to you and compliments to your alert students,
Dmitri
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