85.11: Brig: exists in Switzerland though
Witt is not a real place. Brig is "located at an ancient European
crossroads where the Simplon Pass crosses the high Alps into Italy, the small
and picturesque town of Brig boasts many architectural treasures, . . . . As
well as excellent skiing from Rosswald immediately aove the town . . . reached
by gondola, . . . ." From "SkiEurope Report" by Louis Bignami: http://www.finetravel.com/skiing/ski_switzerland/brig.htm .
85.12-13: Nothing is ever wrapped up with such diabolical neatness as a
shoebox: Why the adjective "diabolical" is used but suggesting
the Eden theme? Just warning HP about the torturing sentimental
journey?
85.20-21: The climb he contemplated could not be accomplished in town
shoes: The first day of Ch. 14. HP ignored Jacques's advice that he
should change into sturdier brogues.
86.29-30: a French ancestor of his, a Catholic poet and well-nigh a saint:
Brian Boyd notes, "French poet and diplomat St. John Perse
(1877-1975)." "Perse" is also related with the Eden theme.
87.03-04: without stopping to listen to the vulgar noise of the stream
which could tell him nothing: HP usually fails to hear the messages from water
in various shapes.
87.11: Villa Nastia, which still retained a dead old woman's absurd Russian
diminutive: I wonder why "absurd"?
87.16-17: a woman was selling vegetables: She is the same woman selling
apples in Ch. 12, who also helped HP who was lost on the way to Villa
Nastia. The apples lead to the Eden theme as well as "yabloni" and
"Diablonnet" in Ch. 12 while we only see vegetables here. That
might show HP vainly looking for the lost Eden. On the other hand, we
might glimpse the vegetables appearing in Chs. 24 and 26.
87.19-24: a large, white, shivering dog crawled from behind a crate
and with a shock of futile recognition Hugh remembered that eight years ago he
had stopped right here and had noticed that dog, which was pretty old even then
and had now braved fabulous age only to serve his blind memory: A piece
of the Mcfate puzzle put in a proper place. Though, as I wrote
before, the dog did not look pretty old when HP first saw him eight
years ago.
87.27-28: A blond little girl with a badminton racket crouched and picked
up her shuttlecock from the sidewalk: As if the same shuttlecock as HP saw
and ignored eight years ago had been left there for these years was
being picked up by a girl who had been playing badminton since then. The
girl also looks like Armande in her childhood.
87.29: now painted a celestial blue: Cf. A blue haze sufficient for
paradise (Ch. 15). A heaven motif.
87.29-30: All its windows are shuttered: As if announcing HP that he
would not be able to find anything there. Cf. Not all of them [the red
shutters of the Ascot Hotel] shut (Ch. 2).
Akiko Nakata