To this very interesting observation by Sandy Drescher, we could add
the link made between Ophelia and violets in Nabokov's Universitetskaia
poema:
"Ne shlo ei imia Violeta
(vernee: Vaiolet, -- no eto
edva li my proiznesem).
S fialkoi ne bylo v nei skhodstva,
naprotiv: iarko, do urodstva
glaza blesteli
The name Violeta didn't suit her (to be sure, her name was Violet, but
we can hardly pronounce that). She had nothing of the violet in her;
on the other hand, it was ugly how brightly her eyes flashed
Later, the narrator is on the river with her -- he will soon abandon
her. He sees a tear on her cheek and adds in the next stanza:
"i tikho my poplyli
v tuman, -- gde plakala ne ty li,
Ofeliia, -- il' to byla
lish' grammofonnaia igla
and quietly we floated in the fog -- wasn't that where you cried,
Ophelia, or was that just a grammophone needle.
I'm sorry for the quick translation -- has one been published
somewhere?
Eric Naiman.
EDNOTE. Violets occur a lot in VN. Any ideas?
----- Forwarded message from bunsan@direcway.com -----
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 16:45:06 -0500
From: Alexander Drescher <
Dear Don and List Members-
Can someone direct me to a paper in which Nina's violets [Spring in
Fialta] and are related to Laertes's protest of Ophelia's innocence?
Spring in Fialta
At the next corner we were attracted by an old stone stairway, and we
climbed up [428 Vintage]
with a cluster of bone-white flecks (some hamlet) [428]
we stood for a little longer by the stone parapet [429]
From somewhere a firm bouquet of small dark, unselfishly smelling
violets appeared in her hands [429]
Hamlet ACT V, Scene 1
LAERTES:
Lay her i' the earth:
And from her fair and unpolluted flesh
May violets spring! I tell thee, churlish priest,
A ministering angel shall my sister be,
When thou liest howling
If such a connection exists, it adds to the view that Victor
progressively recognizes Nina's vulnerable innocence [a lost child] in
addition to her outrageousness [a street row] or her heroic struggle
[a
train station accident]; just as he comes out of his fog and finally
recognizes that he has seen the circus poster [six times] previously.
Further, it would suggests that his timid withdrawal of his offer of
love - and perhaps more - contributes, Hamlet-like, to her death.
-Sandy Drescher 1/21/05
----- End forwarded message -----
8080,0000,8080Don -Apologies if this is a
duplicate, the originial mailing appears to have disappeared into the
ether-S.D.
Times_New_RomanDear Don and List
Members-
Can someone direct me to a paper in which Nina's violets [Spring in
Fialta] and are related to Laertes's protest of Ophelia's innocence?
Spring in Fialta
At the next corner we were attracted by an old stone
stairway, and we climbed up [428 Vintage]
with a cluster of bone-white flecks (some hamlet) [428]
we stood for a little longer by the stone parapet [429]
>From somewhere a firm bouquet of small dark, unselfishly smelling
violets appeared in her hands [429]
TimesHamlet ACT V,
Scene 1
TimesLAERTES:
Lay her i' the earth:
And from her fair and unpolluted flesh
May violets spring! I tell thee, churlish priest,
A ministering angel shall my sister be,
Times_New_RomanWhen thou liest
howling
If such a connection exists, it adds to the view that Victor
progressively recognizes Nina's vulnerable innocence [a lost child] in
addition to her outrageousness [a street row] or her heroic struggle [a
train station accident]; just as he comes out of his fog and finally
recognizes that he has seen the circus poster [six times] previously.
Further, it would suggests that his timid withdrawal of his offer of
love - and perhaps more - contributes, Hamlet-like, to her death.
-Sandy Drescher 1/21/05
Times_New_Roman