EDNote: a different version of Jansy's post that I inadvertently neglected during a hectic day. ~SB
Subject:
Re: [NABOKV-L] Sacher-Masoch
From:
Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
Date:
Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:51:29 -0300
To:
Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>

Alexey Sklyarenko: Forgot to mention that Sacher-Masoch's best-known novel was Venus in Furs (1870). Cf. "Both young ladies wore the very short and open evening gowns that Vass 'miraged' that season - in the phrase of that season: Ada, a gauzy black, Lucette, a lustrous cantharid green... Mixed metaphors and and double-talk became all three Veens, the children of Venus." While Ada and Lucette, two daughters of Venus, revel with Van in Ursus, their furs are "locked up in the vault or somewhere." (3.8) A self-correction: "In the days of yore [a whale swallowed Jonah]" would better render the yawn in the Russian phrase "Vo vremya ono".
 
JM: Direct or indirect allusions to the names of Sade and Sacher-Masoch may not be abundant throughout Nabokov's works, but sado-masochistic elements are pervasive ( along with other non-copulatory perversions, such as references to voyeurism, onanism, fountainism...).
Except for a few drawings, there's not much I know about the Japanese Maruo, whose shocking epresentation of Lolita-like girls under torture came to my attention a few days ago.
If, among philosophers, scholars and literateurs Nabokov's humanistic preoccupation is emphasized, in contrast to his character's cruelty and perversion (Cf.Rorty, Quennell...), Nabokov's novels seems to affect lay-readers differently, paraticularly by those intent on exploring its sado-masochistic dimension ( there are, of course, no academic pincers nor authorial yawns!)
I tried to google for more information that would link Maruo to Nabokov. I reached only one site in English,but could not access any mentioon to Nabokov (as mentioned in the first google-entry, along with Lovecraft and Nellidan) although inside it, there was a participant's inquiry, under "Recommendations for Nabokov readings" : "Other than seeing the film version of "Lolita", I haven't had much exposure to Nabokov's writings. I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations on where to start, especially for someone with Ligottian tastes. Seems like Nabokov has a large oeuvre, so I'm not sure which end of the pool to dive in - are the short stories worthwhile?"

There's a story about a soldier who wanted to find pornographic titillations in "Lolita" and threw the book aside after a few dips, exclaming:"This is only licherachure..." Indeed: no Nabokov novel falls under the stereotype label for a pornographic novel, which often includes sado-masochistic sex. However, in Nabokov, we often come accross instances of other kinds of cruelty and violence that pertain to the sado-masochistic spectrum. We find them in a few Nabokov's short-stories, Laughter in the Dark, KQKn, Despair, Ada, TOoL but, over all of these, it is the dominant feature in "Lolita." (& not in " TheEnchanter"!)
 

Here is the link:

Suehiro Maruo - THE NIGHTMARE NETWORK

 -
29 Jul 2009 ... Suehiro Maruo Art. ... Maruo graduated from junior high school in March 1972 but ..... H. P. Lovecraft, Vladimir Nabokov, Emile Nelligan ...  www.ligotti.net/showthread.php?t=3179 - Em cache.
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