Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0010424, Wed, 13 Oct 2004 11:21:53 -0700

Subject
Fw: Re: Fwd: TT-17 Introductory Notes
Date
Body
Dear Don,

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello" <jansy@aetern.us>
To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 9:49 AM
Subject: Re: Re: Fwd: TT-17 Introductory Notes


> Good morning, John and List
>
> Very interestingly, John has pointed out "visual alliterations" in VN,
which
> we sometimes miss, as his phonetically different uses of certain
consonants
> ( the critic three Cs: Charles Chamar´s Cousin ). I hope he can point out
> more to add relief to this embroidery. And this leads me onto the word
> Borromeo, from where John teased out Romeo/Giulietta.
> There is a famous Borromeo "knot" ( actually it is not really a knot but a
> way of interlacing three loops in which, if one of them is cut open, the
two
> other loops are separated too ). The "borromeo knot" is a favorite among
> topologists and was employed by Jacques Lacan to illustrate how the
> symbolic, imaginary and real dimensions were intertwined )
>
> Aval, in "avalanche" ( from "down" ), close to Chute... what a wonderful
a
> connection...
>
> John has made a reference to a comment I made concerning Armande´s
> "dissolutions". I had made a correction later on which has not been posted
> and I´ll add it here now:
> I think it is necessary to link " the minor miracle happened. A shiver of
> tenderness rippled her features, as a breeze does a reflection(...)" with
> the sentence that almost follows it: "yet that brief vibration in which
she
> dissolved with the sun" ...
> and another sentence, because this rippling and vibration in her: " set
the
> tone for his new existence(...) was the real beginning of their
courtship".
> Nabokov had always been quite explicit concerning their sexual (
physical )
> experiences, therefore he didn´t have to be coy at that precise moment. It
> seems that Armande´s brief but intense sexual response had been the first
> ( "never to come back") moment of " reciprocity", of some sort of
> "exchange" ( tenderness rippled her features(...) set the tone for his new
> existence ).
>
> Best, Jansy
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 11:12 PM
> Subject: Re: Fwd: TT-17 Introductory Notes
>
>
> ----- 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
>
>
> > ----- End forwarded message -----
> >
> >
> >
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>

----- End forwarded message -----