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Nabokov-List [Query] Royal retinues in Wordsmith?
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Dear List,
Whenever I pick up any VN novel I always find tibtis that surprise to me.
Take Pale Fire...
According to Kinbote, the Shade's must have kept an almost regal and incongruously expensive household (a daily maid, a cook, a handy-man ), his neighbor kept a gardener... Also all these people must have often stood in CK's way but I cannot recollect his complaining about it.
Shade, at least once, and Sybil very often took care of the driving. Hazel rode in the bus, Shade burned papers and leaves unaided in his backyard.
Unfortunately I cannot look into these matters with more detail but I wanted to share with you these apparent trifles.
Frank: CK's Publisher or/and Shade's handy-man
1. "I have no reason to suppose that anything will ever happen to prevent this initial relationship with good old Frank, my present publisher, from remaining a permanent fixture...Frank has acknowledged the safe return of the galleys I had been sent here and has asked me to mention in my Preface - and this I willingly do - that I alone am responsible for any mistakes in my commentary."
2. "I saw a world-famous old writer, bent under the incubus of literary honors and his own prolific mediocrity, arrive in a taxi out of the dim times of yore when Shade and he had been joint editors of a little review. I saw Frank, the Shades' handyman, depart in the station wagon... I saw Frank return with the New Wye antiquarian, purblind Mr. Kaplun, and his wife, a dilapidated eagle."
Ruby, Canadian Maid and her nice, Adèle
1. Next morning, as soon as I saw Sybil drive away to fetch Ruby the maid who did not sleep in the house
2- Lines 80/86 Here was my bedroom, now reserved for guests./ Here, tucked away by the Canadian maid, I listened to the buzz downstairs and prayed/ For everybody to be always well,/ Uncles and aunts, the maid, her niece Adèle/ Who'd seen the Pope, people in books, and God...
Shade household on his birthday (and at other times) :
Besides the handy-man we find:
"Why should Sybil have to listen to doorbells when, besides the maid and the cook, two white-coated hired boys were around?
Search the archive: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/archives/nabokv-l.html
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Whenever I pick up any VN novel I always find tibtis that surprise to me.
Take Pale Fire...
According to Kinbote, the Shade's must have kept an almost regal and incongruously expensive household (a daily maid, a cook, a handy-man ), his neighbor kept a gardener... Also all these people must have often stood in CK's way but I cannot recollect his complaining about it.
Shade, at least once, and Sybil very often took care of the driving. Hazel rode in the bus, Shade burned papers and leaves unaided in his backyard.
Unfortunately I cannot look into these matters with more detail but I wanted to share with you these apparent trifles.
Frank: CK's Publisher or/and Shade's handy-man
1. "I have no reason to suppose that anything will ever happen to prevent this initial relationship with good old Frank, my present publisher, from remaining a permanent fixture...Frank has acknowledged the safe return of the galleys I had been sent here and has asked me to mention in my Preface - and this I willingly do - that I alone am responsible for any mistakes in my commentary."
2. "I saw a world-famous old writer, bent under the incubus of literary honors and his own prolific mediocrity, arrive in a taxi out of the dim times of yore when Shade and he had been joint editors of a little review. I saw Frank, the Shades' handyman, depart in the station wagon... I saw Frank return with the New Wye antiquarian, purblind Mr. Kaplun, and his wife, a dilapidated eagle."
Ruby, Canadian Maid and her nice, Adèle
1. Next morning, as soon as I saw Sybil drive away to fetch Ruby the maid who did not sleep in the house
2- Lines 80/86 Here was my bedroom, now reserved for guests./ Here, tucked away by the Canadian maid, I listened to the buzz downstairs and prayed/ For everybody to be always well,/ Uncles and aunts, the maid, her niece Adèle/ Who'd seen the Pope, people in books, and God...
Shade household on his birthday (and at other times) :
Besides the handy-man we find:
"Why should Sybil have to listen to doorbells when, besides the maid and the cook, two white-coated hired boys were around?
Search the archive: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/archives/nabokv-l.html
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm