Dear All,
 
"but if told I am a poor scholar, I reach for my heaviest dictionary." Strong Opinions p. 241.
 
Both "kinbote" and the adjective "versipellous" are to be found in the OED:
 
Kinboot, -bute, -bot. A wergeld or man-boot paid by a homicide to the kin of the person slain.
Versipellous. Having the faculty of changing the skin.
 
The above has, of course, been pointed out long before and Brian Boyd discusses the word in that meaning in his VN: AM.
As I always understood it, Kinbote in his role as commentator and "publisher" of "Pale Fire" the poem is the "wergeld" in relation to the slain Shade.
Needless to say, the meaning of "kinbote" is not something someone has attached to it, and I am certain VN was very much aware of its meaning. The variant spelling "kinbot" is the perfect anagram of botkin, but the additional "e" is intended to mislead and adds zest to the whole. And zesty, by the way, which seems so offenseful to certain members on this list  and which has unrightfully been compared to "blooper"  is not only very apt in the meaning of  "marked by spirited enjoyment," but the very sound of the word evokes the crisp cold of frosty winter. VN's adjectival precision and aptness have no rival imfb (in my firm belief).
 
A. Bouazza.
 
 

JM:  VN could not foresee the significance that would be attached to his choice of the name "Kinbote."

 
 
 -----Original Message-----
From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum [mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU]On Behalf Of Carolyn Kunin
Sent: 04 December 2006 20:12
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: [NABOKV-L] Kinbote: camouflage or coincidence?

In my opinion, VN might have extracted the "kinbote" meaning from the familiar RLS's work
(cryptomnesically or not)

Dear Jansy,

The word "kinbote" like the word "versipel" is too unusual to be a happenstance. Neither word appears in the OED, yet both are found in Webster's 3rd edition. Their usage by VN is very calculated.

a thematic similarity with Grimm's "Frau Holle" and where a compliant child gets a princely reward while the reluctant one is punished with shame or death by exposure.

Since I read the story you mention, as you sent me a copy, allow me to disagree with your interpretation. The virtuous child is not compliant, but on the contrary, stubbornly refuses to admit that "King Frost" with all his furious and terrifying clicks and snaps has made her feel the slightest cold. I interpreted her behavior as defiant rather than compliant.


Carolyn

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