Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0010421, Mon, 11 Oct 2004 19:12:22 -0700

Subject
Re: Fwd: TT-17 Introductory Notes
Date
Body
----- Forwarded message from j.rea2@insightbb.com -----
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 20:23:58 -0400
From: John A Rea <j.rea2@insightbb.com>
Reply-To: j.rea2@insightbb.com
Subject: Re: Fwd: TT-17 Introductory Notes
To: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>

Donald B. Johnson wrote:

> John---a couple of others follow.... dON
>
> ----- Forwarded message from a-nakata@courante.plala.or.jp -----
> Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 11:18:16 +0900
> From: Akiko Nakata <a-nakata@courante.plala.or.jp>
> Reply-To: Akiko Nakata <a-nakata@courante.plala.or.jp>
> Subject: TT-17 Introductory Notes
> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU

Plunging rashly on with my bits, where others have shown the way: I'll
continue putting my offerings after those of Akiko where she has spoken,
snipping where I'm not talking on the same passage, and putting mine
in page order where her introductory note do not commment.

John
> Akiko

63.14 "grayest of hours": American spelling; British uses "grey"
>
> 63.31: critic C. (the late Charles Chamar's cousin): is the most remarkable
> alliteration in the novel?

We should keep in mind that it is mostly VISUAL alliteration here.
What's also remarkable about it is that the three words with initial C
are all phonetically different, the first with a palatal affricate, the
second with a palatal fricative, and the last with a voiceles stop.
I think others, regrettably less interested in Nabokov's often subtle
word play have not only skimmed over it, but have done so especially
with some of its visual aspects.

>
> 64.01: Pere Igor: puns on Prince Igor?

And, dare I speculate a pun on "paregoric"?

>
> 64.17: their hotel looked indeed most combustible: Another parallel with Ch.
> 25, in which HP asks the receptionist to call the hotel in Stresa.

Stresa, actuallly in Italy, lies on the shores of the famous Lago
Maggiore, which is adjoined by both Switzerland and Italy. Most guide
books point out that from Stresa one may see the lovely Borromeo
islands. In chapter 25 we shall learn that the name of the hotel they
had stayed at was in fact Borromeo 95.31, where the "Romeo" part
is associated with Giulia's family name, and of course with that
word's meaning "pilgrim".

64.9-10 "nothing more photogenic and univerally fascinating than a
good fire.

I am of course reminded of the "Burning Barn" episode of _Ada_

65.4 "electric torch

a British expression, where we Americans would say "flash light" (one
word or two, with or without hyphen depending on dictionary!)


>
> 65.23-26: Armande decreed they regularly make love around teatime, in the
> living room, as upon an imaginary stage, to the steady accompaniment of
> casual small talk, with both performers decently clothed....

"undergarments could be parted....but only very, very discreetlly"

This last reminds us of their first copulation on the mountain on p
54.28-29 where with respect to her "tights" She consented to pull them
[the tights] down only just as far as necessary."
>
66.07 "on an uncomfortable little divan"

We recall Van and Ada's use of such a divan, with never a complaint

66.15 "the dazed ecstasy naat gradually idiotized her dear features"

I again refrain from commenting, save to mention the likeness of this
passage to the one I cited at 55.16, to which Akiko replied"

"As for Armande's condition in Ch. 15, she seems to me influenced too
deeply by just a kiss, if her reaction is physical rather than mental.
But I am not confident because I did not have so many love affairs
as she. It is interesting to compare her overreaction with the
blank faces of ukiyoe women."

And Jansy in a separate posting claimed:

"> I don´t belong to the haughty "female scholar" category, but I was
> wondering about this sentence: 55.16 "brief vibration in which she
dissolved",
because it doesn´t really describes typical feminine dissolutions. It
looks more
like a description of ...well, in my shyness, I advise male scholars to
explicate further .
> Jansy

Even my reluctance to comment, and offer to defer to those more likely
to do so, seems to have been, shall I say, excessive. I apologize. I do
recall that in Ada the "heroine" is never said to have any reactions
noticeable by an observer. But then nowhere does Van seem to practice
what the experts call "foreplay" -- if that term can be used of Hugh's
at "avian" attempts at. p 63.04-11.

66.30 at "Aval, Quebec, or Chute, Colorado"

This double layered word play uses French "chute" ="fall", and early
French "aval" = "down", and likewise "aval" which seems to represent
"Vale" in Colorado -- Indeed I had a note on Chute for Quebec, which I
seem now not to find!

87.07 "a dozen lithe athletes" and 67.10 "a dozen crack lovers"
wherein we recall that "crack" is common English slang for pudenda.

John


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