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Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Translation of German Lolita -- page 3 of 4
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Re: Fw: Fw: Fw: Translation of German Lolita -- page 3 of
----- Original Message -----
From: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2004 6:48 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Translation of German Lolita -- page 3 of 4
Walter Miale was wondering why riding a swan to impress a girl would be "more poshlustich" than any other stunt. In the opera, the knight in shining armor arrives in a swan in order to save his girl but, before he could even ride her, was forced to leave. That´s why it now seems to me that this reference to swan and impressionable girls might not be related to the opera. Still, the joke concerning Wagner´s "Lohengrin" appeared in a novel that takes place in Germany.
There´s, of course, Tchaikovski´s " Swan Lake".
And yet, it was Walter Miale, not Nabokov, who introduced a swan at this point. Besides, Von Lichberg´s story suggests that it was the girl who impressed the older guy and not he who tried a stunt to get her.
Anyway, I cannot figure out what connects this poorly written short-story to V.N. There´s the theme of the "doubles" ( the twins) and there are doors that transport the narrator from one reality to another. There´s even a young girl named Lolita! But how can this be taken seriously enough to create such a fuss, that´s the real mistery.
----- Original Message -----
From: Walter Miale
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2004 4:40 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Fw: Fw: Translation of German Lolita -- page 3 of 4
...."the prelude to the adventure of riding the swan..."
What does this mean?
EDNOTE. A good question. The faint bells it tinkles for me are: 1) I think VN in his GOGOL book uses the swan shtick as an an example of "poshlost'
Yes, that's it.
Actually, I have never quite understood why hitching a ride on a swan to impress a girl is any more poshlustish than any other foolish daredevil stunt. . . (Would someone please tell me why this story so epitomizes poshlust.)
There is a joke about catching the next swan ( Lohengrin ) in "Laughter in the Dark"
Yes, the image in Gogol, like the new text, does have the ring of grand German opera: "And since that time a curse lies on the family. The women all give birth to a daughter, and within weeks of their child's birth, they always go mad. . . ." But perhaps Nabokov did not steal the image from Lichberg; a closer reading of the texts suggests it could have been planted in him by a ghost.
Unfortunately (speaking of "a closer reading"), I see Nabokov attributes the story to Gogol himself, but I'll hang on to my notions like a crackpot.
Walter Miale
----- Original Message -----
From: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2004 6:48 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Fw: Fw: Fw: Translation of German Lolita -- page 3 of 4
Walter Miale was wondering why riding a swan to impress a girl would be "more poshlustich" than any other stunt. In the opera, the knight in shining armor arrives in a swan in order to save his girl but, before he could even ride her, was forced to leave. That´s why it now seems to me that this reference to swan and impressionable girls might not be related to the opera. Still, the joke concerning Wagner´s "Lohengrin" appeared in a novel that takes place in Germany.
There´s, of course, Tchaikovski´s " Swan Lake".
And yet, it was Walter Miale, not Nabokov, who introduced a swan at this point. Besides, Von Lichberg´s story suggests that it was the girl who impressed the older guy and not he who tried a stunt to get her.
Anyway, I cannot figure out what connects this poorly written short-story to V.N. There´s the theme of the "doubles" ( the twins) and there are doors that transport the narrator from one reality to another. There´s even a young girl named Lolita! But how can this be taken seriously enough to create such a fuss, that´s the real mistery.
----- Original Message -----
From: Walter Miale
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2004 4:40 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Fw: Fw: Translation of German Lolita -- page 3 of 4
...."the prelude to the adventure of riding the swan..."
What does this mean?
EDNOTE. A good question. The faint bells it tinkles for me are: 1) I think VN in his GOGOL book uses the swan shtick as an an example of "poshlost'
Yes, that's it.
Actually, I have never quite understood why hitching a ride on a swan to impress a girl is any more poshlustish than any other foolish daredevil stunt. . . (Would someone please tell me why this story so epitomizes poshlust.)
There is a joke about catching the next swan ( Lohengrin ) in "Laughter in the Dark"
Yes, the image in Gogol, like the new text, does have the ring of grand German opera: "And since that time a curse lies on the family. The women all give birth to a daughter, and within weeks of their child's birth, they always go mad. . . ." But perhaps Nabokov did not steal the image from Lichberg; a closer reading of the texts suggests it could have been planted in him by a ghost.
Unfortunately (speaking of "a closer reading"), I see Nabokov attributes the story to Gogol himself, but I'll hang on to my notions like a crackpot.
Walter Miale