Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0010425, Wed, 13 Oct 2004 11:56:34 -0700

Subject
Query: ADA's "velvet side-loop"
Date
Body
EDNOTE. Dear Tomasz....Never hesitate to ask NABOKV-L any question re VN's
work. It is why NABOKV-L and ZEMBLA exist. In answer to your qestion... niether
"side-loop" nor "armloop" are in Websters II nor in the OED. See Boyd's listing
at ZEMBLA (www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/ada/index.htm).
33.22-29: his train . . . to Ardis . . . velvet side-loop . . .: cf. 470.20-22:
"Rocking along softly, . . . his arm in an armloop, he recalled his first
railway journey to Ardis. . . . "
My guess is that the term refers to a strap for the passenger to hold on to
either for stability or comfort. It is attached high up on the side or, in a
subway car, from the roof.


----- Forwarded message from tcyba@prast.pl -----
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 14:48:47 +0200
From: Tomasz Cyba <tcyba@prast.pl>
Reply-To: Tomasz Cyba <tcyba@prast.plTomasz Cyba <tcyba@prast.pl>>
Subject: velvet side-loop
To: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>

Dear Donald,

In this letter here I dare to ask you one more question (in
order not to litter up the NABOKOV-L):

What is the the "velvet side-loop", that makes Van feel
"very much a man of the world" in the "first-class compartment"
of the Ardis-bound train (Ada, I.4. 33.28-30)?
How does it look like? One doesn't really see such a thing in the contemporary
trains, I suppose. At least here, in Poland.

I'd like to be precise with this one.

Hope I don't cause much of a trouble.

Tomasz

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