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Re: On symmetry and Kinbote
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Another VN work that features an index is of course Speak, Memory. Perhaps it would serve an analysis of Pale Fire's index well to compare how the two function in relation to their works. I wonder for one thing if Speak, Memory's index appeared in the original version of that work (that is, prior to Pale Fire)? And if so, was it changed in any way for the newer version?
A few interesting things that jump out on a quick analysis of the SM index include the presence of some of Nabokov's novels (The Real Life of Sebastian Knight is listed under S, of all letters). Then there is the little chase that starts with the listing for Jewels, which sends us to Stained Glass, which sends us to Pavilion (and back to Jewels.) In the two references under Pavilion (215-216; 230), we find descriptions of VN's pavilion in the woods, the little bridge near it (which brings to mind the bridge in the poem in SM's Foreword), Tamara and her friends' graffiti, Tamara and her friends themselves....I also see on page 217 a reference to a "pillared heap of stones marking a mountain trail", which brings to mind the Zemblan word Steinmann (PF page 143). At any rate these things may warrant deeper and more careful digging.
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Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 10:08:01 -0800From: chaiselongue@EARTHLINK.NETSubject: Re: [NABOKV-L] On symmetry and KinboteTo: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> I don't see K. and S. getting confused in the Index entry on Shade. A lot of the pronouns do indeed refer to Kinbote, but they always have an antecedent in an earlier K. I took that as more of his egoism. > > Yes, it's interesting that the letter C can sound like both K and S (and it looks like, and is etymologically related to, G). But at that level you can konnekt everything with everything elce.Dear Jerry,Since this is the only novel I know that has an index even of any sort, I can't say that you are wrong, but in usual indexes the "he" refers to the person named in the heading. But under "Shade" in this index Shade is sometime "S" and sometimes "he"'; Kinbote is sometimes "K" and sometimes "he." The entries under "Kinbote" don't make this confusion. I do wish someone would analyze that Index - - it is quite interesting. For example this is found on the title page: "The capital letters stand for the three main characters G, K. S (which see) in this work." That "(which see)" is interesting because there are no such headings in the index, whereas the rest of the "qv"s always do take you to other headings, if not always helpfully. So I think "see" might be a pun on "C" just as "capital letters" is a pun on "characters." My attention was drawn to this as a clue because of the odd combination of simplicity and deceit in this apparently innocent statement. I was also struck at the oddity of the ordering of the three "characters" (why not K, S, G or S, K, G?).I concluded that VN wished to draw the reader's attention to those characters/letters - - but of course I could be wrong as you suggest.(In your theory, is it egoism if someone fulsomely admires his other personality? Maybe Kinbote suffers from alteregoism.)Alteregoism? Wonderful! (why didn't I think of that?)Carolyn
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