Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0013510, Wed, 11 Oct 2006 14:20:38 -0400

Subject
New evidence regarding Shade and Kinbote
From
Date
Body
To the List,

Although I had noticed earlier that the two middle names of Shade and
Kinbote added up to (St.) Francis Xavier, I didn't until just now
understand
the significance. I 've just been watching a PBS program about the
Vinland
Map. As evidence mounted that the map was a modern forgery, the
filmmakers
started to look at who the forger might have been. As soon as I saw the
picture of Father Fischer I made the connection. As I suspected, he was
a
Jesuit and in the context I recalled that the Jesuits were associated
with
cunning and deceit.

This time the OED confirmed my suspicion. "Jesuitical" means deceitful
and
cunning.

In the program Father Fischer was vin-dicated, but I had another bit of
evidence in my arsenal. The combination of the Francis of John Shade's
name
and the Xavier of Charles Kinbote's spell deceit.

Just another coincidence?

Carolyn Elizabeth Kunin

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