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Re: Query: Percy Elphinstone in Lolita
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Dealing with Jansy Mello's query here:
I once asked a writer friend of mine what the significance was
of some seemingly off-the-wall personal and place names he had
used in his fiction. He claimed there was no specific one in
the instance, but that he had liked the sound of the names when
he chanced on them, and assigned them when he could. Actually
some years back, in Nabokovian #3, p 29 a person I have in the
past chidden (!) for virtuless gratuities wrote nearly a page
about the use of "Elphinstone", but was merely speculating I
believe.
I am also always delighted to hear more of Christian Morgenstern.
My favorite one of his is entitled "Fisches Nachtgesang", and
one should read it in an edition with facing translations. I
have claimed that it is the only poem to be significantly
improved thereby. Could perhaps Jansy or Don present it to us
here? (Please overlook my precipitous use of "given names": I
often take unauthorized liberties on that count.)
John A. Rea
[EDNOTE. As to whether or not the person John mentions was merely
speculating, we'll have to take his word for it. SES]
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
I once asked a writer friend of mine what the significance was
of some seemingly off-the-wall personal and place names he had
used in his fiction. He claimed there was no specific one in
the instance, but that he had liked the sound of the names when
he chanced on them, and assigned them when he could. Actually
some years back, in Nabokovian #3, p 29 a person I have in the
past chidden (!) for virtuless gratuities wrote nearly a page
about the use of "Elphinstone", but was merely speculating I
believe.
I am also always delighted to hear more of Christian Morgenstern.
My favorite one of his is entitled "Fisches Nachtgesang", and
one should read it in an edition with facing translations. I
have claimed that it is the only poem to be significantly
improved thereby. Could perhaps Jansy or Don present it to us
here? (Please overlook my precipitous use of "given names": I
often take unauthorized liberties on that count.)
John A. Rea
[EDNOTE. As to whether or not the person John mentions was merely
speculating, we'll have to take his word for it. SES]
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