Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0010542, Mon, 8 Nov 2004 15:38:52 -0800

Subject
Re: FW: Ada & Eden
Date
Body
Please see Robert Alter's article "ADA or the Perils of Paradise," in Peter
Quennell, ed., "VN: A Tribute," pp.103-118 (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson,
1979).

A. Bouazza.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2004 8:29 PM
Subject: Re: FW: Ada & Eden


> However, VN said that religion was a boring topic for him...
> I remember, in Pale Fire, that Shade was bit irritated by a Kinbote's
> reference to St Augustin. In Ada, in his discussion on Time, Van evokes
> very quickly St Augustin and the theme of eternity. So, I never read
> cette Leçon littéraire sur VN, and I wonder if religion is, or not,
> a "hidden" theme of the huge masterpiece Ada.
>
> AA
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2004 14:02:24 -0800
> Subject: Re: FW: Ada & Eden
>
> > Refering to Carolyn's feeling about "religion in Ada"
> > I recommend a french book called "Leçon littéraire sur
> > Vladimir Nabokov, de la Méprise à Ada", (Literature
> > lesson about VN from Despair to Ada) (Paris, Presses
> > universitaires de France, collection Major, 1995), by
> > Jocelyn Maixent.
> > The author makes an inventory of biblic themes and
> > hints scattering through the novel.
> > For instance :
> > -the apple is always links to Ada/Van couple ;
> > -"ada" in russian means "hell" (cf. Aqua's letter in
> > Part one, chapter 3 in fine)
> > -Ardis is an edenic place : explicit reference to the
> > snake and Knowledge tree at the end of chapter 9 (part
> > one)
> > -the name of "Ardis Hall" sounds both like "Paradise"
> > and "Hell"
> > -some letters of "Adam & Eve" are mixed and reversed
> > in "Ada & Van",
> >
> > and so on. The whole book is interesting.
> >
> > Best regards
> >
> > Olivia Cham
> >
> >
> > --- "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu> wrote:
> >
> > > ----- Forwarded message from
> > > chaiselongue@earthlink.net -----
> > > Date: Wed, 03 Nov 2004 08:49:23 -0800
> > > From: Carolyn <chaiselongue@earthlink.net>
> > >
> > >
> > > Dear Don,
> > >
> > > I noted recently that I felt a neglected motif in
> > > Ada was RELIGION - - and
> > > listening to a lecture on Paradise Lost, I heard
> > > something that struck me as
> > > perhaps being relevant. The lecturer stated that
> > > some critics came to think
> > > that in Eden Milton was portraying the New World &,
> > > the lecturer continued,
> > > his own opinion is that both Eden & Pandemonium
> > > (haha!) are two New Worlds.
> > >
> > > I thought that was very interesting.
> > >
> > > Carolyn
> > >
> > > ----- End forwarded message -----
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > __________________________________
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> >
> > ----- End forwarded message -----
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----

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