Subject
Fwd: Banville and Nabokov/addendum to Athena post
From
Date
Body
Mr. Bennett,
My name is Andrew Brown, and I am your Critic X. I wrote my critique last
night and, on rereading, stand by every word of it. I now take into account
your typing errors, which I suspected and noted in my critique. Mr Bennett,
I make mistakes every day, but if you have a favorite author and wish to
share your enthusiasm, you cannot transcribe his work with such damaging
carelessness. If you have the flu or it is too late at night, wait until you
recover. Wait until you've had some sleep. Please wait, before you set the
poor guy up for ridicule.
In reading your response, I was afraid that I might have been unfair. But in
looking back over what I wrote, I see that from my first sentence down to
the sentence: "I give Banville the benefit of the doubt to the extent that
what is quoted may, I hope, have simply been badly typed." my comments are
not critical of Banville at all, but of the person who has thrown out the
following rash claim:
"For my money, Banville is a MUCH BETTER example of a contemporary novelist
who
has (was?) deeply, and favorably, influenced by VN than the much more
celebrated
Martin Amis. A MUCH BETTER NOVELIST AS WELL... "
Mark, believe me when I say I have not an atom of hostility toward you. But,
as I would tell my closest friend, with considerably more heat, that is a
foolish statement. You can tell us who you PREFER but you cannot tell us who
is BETTER. It's unfair to Amis. It's unfair to Nabokov. And it is unfair to
Mr. Banville. Literature is not a cock fight. It is not the Oscars.
Blatantly subjective claims have no place in literature's rational
appraisal.
If, aside from the typos, what you have posted by Mr. Banville is a fair
sample of his work, than I still stand by what I've written. I've tried
grappling with the statements in the rest of your response, and have decided
that it would be unfair of me to comment on them because you are either very
young, or otherwise unduellable.
My remarks are indeed criticism, which any author of ability welcomes. They
are not abuse. To any author of confidence and skill, they are worth many
times more than the applause of blundering disciples. But here is what I'll
do. Since your errors have been so prejudicial to a consideration of
Banville's work, I'll read Athena. That's the least he deserves.
Sincerely,
Andrew Brown
----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2005 3:56 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: Banville and Nabokov/addendum to Athena post
> I submitted the original quotation from Banville's "Athena." "Hear" is a
typo,
> and is "fondly." In my defense, I will offer only the late hour that I
typed
> message and the effects of the flu; but some offenses are unforgivable: to
quote
> an author and subject him to criticism and abuse because of my inaccurate
typing
> is a serious matter, and I offer a thousand apologies to John Banville,
the
> anonymous critic, Mr. Howell, Professor Johnson, every member of NABOKV-L,
all
> nine Muses, and the great god Apollo himself. Otherwise I stand by my
> submission. The always acute Mr. Howell is correct in attributing the
"errors"
> in the quotation to the unreliable narrative of "Athena," who shares with
> Humbert Humbert an unfortunate propensity to get everything wrong.
("Athena,"
> by the way, is the concluding volume of a trilogy consisting of "The Book
of
> Evidence," "Ghosts," and "Athena.") Critic X contends that my example
provides
> evidence that Banville is vague and untalented; I believe otherwise. Such
is the
> mysterious matter of taste. Perhaps I selected a particularly poor
example to
> illustrate my point; perhaps I simply have a tin ear. In either event, if
my
> choice has provoked in Critic X such aversion that he, or she, is in no
hurry
> to read "Athena," then I have done both Critic X and John Banville a grave
> disservice. It is well worth any reader's time, Nabokovian or not.
>
> Mark Bennett
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
> Sent: Mon 2/14/2005 8:56 AM
> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> Subject: Re: Fwd: Banville and Nabokov/addendum to Athena post
>
>
>
> I can't see what is wrong with this passage if the narrator is one of
> Banville's typically unreliable narrators. The 'hear' is a typo. [Btw,
> I do not know who posted the original message and who in turn posted the
> critique below.] I haven't read this particular novel, either, but I
> don't think for one second that Banville was writing in anything but a
> deliberately confused voice here. I humbly admit that I'm ignorant
> enough of the geography of the USA for the infelicities to have washed
> over me. But Banville is simply too intelligent to have made such
> mistakes himself. They MUST be the narrator's - don't forget the editors
> and fact-checkers! If I am wrong I shall certainly eat humble-pie. I
> think there are some cliches here, but, again, I think we probably need
> to have read the book to establish whether they are part and parcel of
> the narrator's idiom. As for comparisons with Nabokov, I don't think
> that we can check off every aspect of Banville's diction against
> Nabokov's and necessarily find Banville wanting - if this is inspired by
> Nabokov (which it plainly is), it's done in the knowledge that _Lolita_
> came first and it cannot be as good as _Lolita_; it can't replace it,
> ,just conjure a pleasant memory of that work. I hope that the poster
> below isn't unduly put off Banville now. I would suggest she/he could
> start with _The Book of Evidence_ or _Dr Copernicus_ or maybe _The
> Untouchable_.
>
>
> Brian Howell
>
>
> On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 10:02:38 -0800, "Donald B. Johnson"
> <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu> said:
> > I don't know to whom I am replying -- this last post bears no signature
> > --
> > and since I've read no Banville other than the specimen quoted below, I
> > cannot judge whether Banville or Amis is the contemporary novelist most
> > influenced by Nabokov. But the idea that there is some sort of
> > competition
> > for this title is questionable, and not one that I think Amis would
> > welcome
> > as a way of analyzing his work. Novelists who are any good get their
> > influences under control and go about the business of becoming
> > themselves.
> >
> > There are a number of phrases and narrative devices in Amis's work that
> > indicate a high regard for Nabokov. But, Nabokov or not, Amis would
still
> > have been a novelist. And there is much about Amis's work that Nabokov
> > would
> > have disliked intensely. Amis certainly knows this, and has held his own
> > course all the same. The quote below, whether it's judged as an example
> > of
> > Nabokovian influence, or simply of Banville's skills as a novelist, is
> > unimpressive. I give Banville the benefit of the doubt to the extent
that
> > what is quoted may, I hope, have simply been badly typed.
> >
> > How familiar is this narrator with English? "The first time I HEAR of
> > Mother she HAD been born in America, in Savannah, or Louisiana, or "some
> > other homonymous bayou of the Deep South," into a family OF ANCIENT
> > LINEAGE;
> > in subsequent accounts, however, the birthplace shifted to Mississippi,
> > then
> > Missouri, and once even, if my ears did not deceive me, to Missoula,
> > which
> > my atlas tells me is a town in the Rocky Mountains in the northerly
state
> > of
> > Montana ...."
> >
> > This sentence is a catastrophe. "The first time I hear of Mother..."
> > Does
> > this person mean the past tense "heard"? And is it the mother who is
> > unclear
> > about U.S. geography, or is it Banville? Savannah is a city in Georgia;
> > Louisianna is a state. Louisianna has bayous; Savannah does not.
Whatever
> > a
> > "homonymous bayou" may be is a mystery, but it is more than just a
casual
> > narrative stmble that takes one from the bayou to the high plains of
> > Missoula. The confusion over Mississippi, Missouri, and points north
> > sounds
> > more less like befuddlement on the part of the narrator, planned by the
> > author, than it sounds like the ineptitude of an author leafing through
a
> > school book, looking for some local color. The narrator's atlas says
> > (shows,
> > rather) that Missoula is a town in Montana. But Missoula is a city in
> > Montana. A small point? There are no small points. Writing novels is a
> > business of making hundreds of small decisions every day, and of
getting
> > them right.
> >
> > "...where I, Melmoth the Bereft, shall journey on that circumferential
> > pilgrimage I intend one of these days to undertake in
> > search of my lost love..." This may be intended to parody Humbert
> > Humbert,
> > or it may be an outrageous and unforgivable attempt to ride on Nabokov's
> > coat tails, but an homage it is not. Nor is a cliche such as "ancient
> > lineage" somehow Nabokovian. "My LOST LOVE ...?" This is a patchwork of
> > exhausted phrase-making.
> >
> > The narrator has heard from his mother that her father was Swiss. Is
this
> > supposed to make us think of Humbert's father?
> > He is "a diplomat is the foreign service ... brought up "all over the
> > place." Not exactly a sharp, definitive description. Banville can be
> > forgiven if this is intended to be willfully bad, like the short
> > autobiography that Jay Gatsby gives Nick Carraway. If not, it's a
> > gallimauffery of cliches.
> >
> > "And indeed, in her sleep she often spoke in what seemed to me foreign
> > languages."
> >
> > Where and how did this dimly imagined vagrant mother pick up these
> > "foreign"
> > languages? Between Savannah and Missoula? And what are they? Italian?
> > Ukrainian? Urdu? Or is it simply English, which Banville seems to have
> > picked up from an online corresponence school.
> >
> > "By the way ... I always take up with restless sleepers." What sparks
> > this
> > thought? Is the narrator sleeping with his mother? "About Daddy OMINOUS
> > HINTS were dropped." These hints, however ominous, seem to amount only
to
> > Daddy's being a dark, sleek-haired French gentleman sort of fellow,
> > "sinisterly" handsome..." Sounds like Rhett Butler. Multi-jeweled watch?
> >
> > No. Undoubtedly the Nabokovian bit is that this cartoon is "idly fondly"
> > (fondling?) a pale little girl perched in his lap."
> >
> > Please don't tell me the last item is an "homage" to Nabokov.
Considering
> > that this is such a small sample of Banville's work,
> > I will withhold my judgement. It's possible that, if there was some
> > humorous
> > intent behind these lines, Banville may not be as vague and untalented
as
> > he
> > seems. But I can't say I'm in any hurry to read Athena.
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2005 1:17 AM
> > Subject: Re: Fwd: Banville and Nabokov
> >
> >
> > > For my money, Banville is a much better example of a contemporary
novelist
> > who
> > > has deeply, and favorably, influenced by VN than the much more
celebrated
> > > Martin Amis. A much better novelist as well. Banville's most
Nabokovian
> > > novel is "Athena," which contains many passages that are outright
homages
> > to
> > > VN, including the following:
> > >
> > > "The first time I hear of Mother she had been born in America, in
> > Savannah, or
> > > Louisana, or some other homonymous bayou of the Deep South, into a
family
> > of
> > > ancient lineage; in subsequent accounts, however, the birthplace
shifted
> > to
> > > Mississippi, then Missouri, and once even, if my ears did not deceive
me,
> > to
> > > Missoula, which my atlas tells me, is a town in the Rocky Moutains in
the
> > > northerly state of Montana, to where I, Melmoth the Bereft, shall
journey
> > on
> > > that circumferential pilgrimage I intend one of these days to
undertake in
> > > search of my lost love. But Missoula! - where on earth did she get
that
> > from?
> > > her father, she said, was Swiss. He had been - I heard it coming
before
> > she
> > > said it - a diplomat in the foreign service, and she had been brought
up
> > all
> > > over the place; and indeed, in her sleep she often spoke in what
seemed to
> > me
> > > foreign languages. (By the way, why is it, I wonder, that I always
take
> > up
> > > with restless sleepers?) About Daddy, ominous hints were dropped; I
> > pictured
> > > a dark, sleek-haired gentilhomme, sinisterly handsome - see his
skier's
> > tan,
> > > his chocolate-dark eyes, his multi-jewelled watch - idly fondly a pale
> > little
> > > girl perched in his lap."
> > >
> > > Banville, "Athena" Vintage paperback, 1996, pp. 122 -123.
> > >
> > > ________________________________
> > >
> > > From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
> > > Sent: Sat 2/12/2005 5:59 PM
> > > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > > Subject: Re: Fwd: Banville and Nabokov
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Thanks to Tom and Michael for these interesting connections.
> > >
> > > Best
> > >
> > >
> > > Brian Howell
> > >
> > >
> > > On Wed, 9 Feb 2005 19:29:17 -0800, "Donald B. Johnson"
> > > <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu> said:
> > > > Although I did not notice Nabokovian echoes in "Shroud", the earlier
> > > > companion
> > > > novel, "Eclipse", has a clear reference to "Lolita" and perhaps
other
> > > > Nabokov
> > > > works. There is a Lolita-like girl (although no pedophilia) and a
ghost
> > > > plot
> > > > that has parallels to certain theories about Hazel Shade's role in
"Pale
> > > > Fire."
> > > >
> > > > For what it's worth, in interviews Banville has acknowledged
Nabokov's
> > > > influence.
> > > >
> > > > Tom Walker
> > > >
> > > > Quoting "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>:
> > > >
> > > > > ----- Forwarded message from mmillea@ifone.com -----
> > > > > Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2005 18:57:20 -0000 (GMT)
> > > > > From: Michael Millea <mmillea@ifone.com>
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Here is Nabokov-de Man link. Nabokov left Cornell in January
1959,
> > and
> > > > > Paul de Man, with his newly minted Harvard doctorate, was hired by
> > Cornell
> > > > > in 1960. Since de Man was a former Nazi and the author of a
number of
> > > > > shrill, trashy anti-Semitic diatribes, Nabokov, whose views on
> > > > > anti-Semitism are well known, probably would have thought he left
> > Cornell
> > > > > at just the right time.
> > > > >
> > > > > Although I've never come across any evidence that Nabokov was even
> > aware
> > > > > of de Man, two of his creations, Professor Hagen and Bodo
Falternfels,
> > > > > give some indication that he must have bumped into similar postwar
> > > > > flotsam.
> > > > >
> > > > > Michael
> > > > >
> > > > > > Andrew - you may be right there, though I just read a review and
> > > > > > apparently the critic (?) Paul de Man was part-inspiration for
the
> > > > > > narrator. I wonder if there is a Nabokov-de Man link. That would
be
> > an
> > > > > > interesting connection.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Brian Howell
> > > >
> > > > ----- End forwarded message -----
> > >
> > > http://www.windriverpress.com/titles/studyofsleep.html
> > > http://www.tobypress.com/books/dance_geometry.htm
> > > ? http://www.elasticpress.com/sound_of_white_ants.htm
> > >
> > > ----- End forwarded message -----
> > >
> > > ----- End forwarded message -----
> >
> > ----- End forwarded message -----
> http://www.windriverpress.com/titles/studyofsleep.html
> http://www.tobypress.com/books/dance_geometry.htm
> http://www.elasticpress.com/sound_of_white_ants.htm
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
----- End forwarded message -----
My name is Andrew Brown, and I am your Critic X. I wrote my critique last
night and, on rereading, stand by every word of it. I now take into account
your typing errors, which I suspected and noted in my critique. Mr Bennett,
I make mistakes every day, but if you have a favorite author and wish to
share your enthusiasm, you cannot transcribe his work with such damaging
carelessness. If you have the flu or it is too late at night, wait until you
recover. Wait until you've had some sleep. Please wait, before you set the
poor guy up for ridicule.
In reading your response, I was afraid that I might have been unfair. But in
looking back over what I wrote, I see that from my first sentence down to
the sentence: "I give Banville the benefit of the doubt to the extent that
what is quoted may, I hope, have simply been badly typed." my comments are
not critical of Banville at all, but of the person who has thrown out the
following rash claim:
"For my money, Banville is a MUCH BETTER example of a contemporary novelist
who
has (was?) deeply, and favorably, influenced by VN than the much more
celebrated
Martin Amis. A MUCH BETTER NOVELIST AS WELL... "
Mark, believe me when I say I have not an atom of hostility toward you. But,
as I would tell my closest friend, with considerably more heat, that is a
foolish statement. You can tell us who you PREFER but you cannot tell us who
is BETTER. It's unfair to Amis. It's unfair to Nabokov. And it is unfair to
Mr. Banville. Literature is not a cock fight. It is not the Oscars.
Blatantly subjective claims have no place in literature's rational
appraisal.
If, aside from the typos, what you have posted by Mr. Banville is a fair
sample of his work, than I still stand by what I've written. I've tried
grappling with the statements in the rest of your response, and have decided
that it would be unfair of me to comment on them because you are either very
young, or otherwise unduellable.
My remarks are indeed criticism, which any author of ability welcomes. They
are not abuse. To any author of confidence and skill, they are worth many
times more than the applause of blundering disciples. But here is what I'll
do. Since your errors have been so prejudicial to a consideration of
Banville's work, I'll read Athena. That's the least he deserves.
Sincerely,
Andrew Brown
----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2005 3:56 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: Banville and Nabokov/addendum to Athena post
> I submitted the original quotation from Banville's "Athena." "Hear" is a
typo,
> and is "fondly." In my defense, I will offer only the late hour that I
typed
> message and the effects of the flu; but some offenses are unforgivable: to
quote
> an author and subject him to criticism and abuse because of my inaccurate
typing
> is a serious matter, and I offer a thousand apologies to John Banville,
the
> anonymous critic, Mr. Howell, Professor Johnson, every member of NABOKV-L,
all
> nine Muses, and the great god Apollo himself. Otherwise I stand by my
> submission. The always acute Mr. Howell is correct in attributing the
"errors"
> in the quotation to the unreliable narrative of "Athena," who shares with
> Humbert Humbert an unfortunate propensity to get everything wrong.
("Athena,"
> by the way, is the concluding volume of a trilogy consisting of "The Book
of
> Evidence," "Ghosts," and "Athena.") Critic X contends that my example
provides
> evidence that Banville is vague and untalented; I believe otherwise. Such
is the
> mysterious matter of taste. Perhaps I selected a particularly poor
example to
> illustrate my point; perhaps I simply have a tin ear. In either event, if
my
> choice has provoked in Critic X such aversion that he, or she, is in no
hurry
> to read "Athena," then I have done both Critic X and John Banville a grave
> disservice. It is well worth any reader's time, Nabokovian or not.
>
> Mark Bennett
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
> Sent: Mon 2/14/2005 8:56 AM
> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> Subject: Re: Fwd: Banville and Nabokov/addendum to Athena post
>
>
>
> I can't see what is wrong with this passage if the narrator is one of
> Banville's typically unreliable narrators. The 'hear' is a typo. [Btw,
> I do not know who posted the original message and who in turn posted the
> critique below.] I haven't read this particular novel, either, but I
> don't think for one second that Banville was writing in anything but a
> deliberately confused voice here. I humbly admit that I'm ignorant
> enough of the geography of the USA for the infelicities to have washed
> over me. But Banville is simply too intelligent to have made such
> mistakes himself. They MUST be the narrator's - don't forget the editors
> and fact-checkers! If I am wrong I shall certainly eat humble-pie. I
> think there are some cliches here, but, again, I think we probably need
> to have read the book to establish whether they are part and parcel of
> the narrator's idiom. As for comparisons with Nabokov, I don't think
> that we can check off every aspect of Banville's diction against
> Nabokov's and necessarily find Banville wanting - if this is inspired by
> Nabokov (which it plainly is), it's done in the knowledge that _Lolita_
> came first and it cannot be as good as _Lolita_; it can't replace it,
> ,just conjure a pleasant memory of that work. I hope that the poster
> below isn't unduly put off Banville now. I would suggest she/he could
> start with _The Book of Evidence_ or _Dr Copernicus_ or maybe _The
> Untouchable_.
>
>
> Brian Howell
>
>
> On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 10:02:38 -0800, "Donald B. Johnson"
> <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu> said:
> > I don't know to whom I am replying -- this last post bears no signature
> > --
> > and since I've read no Banville other than the specimen quoted below, I
> > cannot judge whether Banville or Amis is the contemporary novelist most
> > influenced by Nabokov. But the idea that there is some sort of
> > competition
> > for this title is questionable, and not one that I think Amis would
> > welcome
> > as a way of analyzing his work. Novelists who are any good get their
> > influences under control and go about the business of becoming
> > themselves.
> >
> > There are a number of phrases and narrative devices in Amis's work that
> > indicate a high regard for Nabokov. But, Nabokov or not, Amis would
still
> > have been a novelist. And there is much about Amis's work that Nabokov
> > would
> > have disliked intensely. Amis certainly knows this, and has held his own
> > course all the same. The quote below, whether it's judged as an example
> > of
> > Nabokovian influence, or simply of Banville's skills as a novelist, is
> > unimpressive. I give Banville the benefit of the doubt to the extent
that
> > what is quoted may, I hope, have simply been badly typed.
> >
> > How familiar is this narrator with English? "The first time I HEAR of
> > Mother she HAD been born in America, in Savannah, or Louisiana, or "some
> > other homonymous bayou of the Deep South," into a family OF ANCIENT
> > LINEAGE;
> > in subsequent accounts, however, the birthplace shifted to Mississippi,
> > then
> > Missouri, and once even, if my ears did not deceive me, to Missoula,
> > which
> > my atlas tells me is a town in the Rocky Mountains in the northerly
state
> > of
> > Montana ...."
> >
> > This sentence is a catastrophe. "The first time I hear of Mother..."
> > Does
> > this person mean the past tense "heard"? And is it the mother who is
> > unclear
> > about U.S. geography, or is it Banville? Savannah is a city in Georgia;
> > Louisianna is a state. Louisianna has bayous; Savannah does not.
Whatever
> > a
> > "homonymous bayou" may be is a mystery, but it is more than just a
casual
> > narrative stmble that takes one from the bayou to the high plains of
> > Missoula. The confusion over Mississippi, Missouri, and points north
> > sounds
> > more less like befuddlement on the part of the narrator, planned by the
> > author, than it sounds like the ineptitude of an author leafing through
a
> > school book, looking for some local color. The narrator's atlas says
> > (shows,
> > rather) that Missoula is a town in Montana. But Missoula is a city in
> > Montana. A small point? There are no small points. Writing novels is a
> > business of making hundreds of small decisions every day, and of
getting
> > them right.
> >
> > "...where I, Melmoth the Bereft, shall journey on that circumferential
> > pilgrimage I intend one of these days to undertake in
> > search of my lost love..." This may be intended to parody Humbert
> > Humbert,
> > or it may be an outrageous and unforgivable attempt to ride on Nabokov's
> > coat tails, but an homage it is not. Nor is a cliche such as "ancient
> > lineage" somehow Nabokovian. "My LOST LOVE ...?" This is a patchwork of
> > exhausted phrase-making.
> >
> > The narrator has heard from his mother that her father was Swiss. Is
this
> > supposed to make us think of Humbert's father?
> > He is "a diplomat is the foreign service ... brought up "all over the
> > place." Not exactly a sharp, definitive description. Banville can be
> > forgiven if this is intended to be willfully bad, like the short
> > autobiography that Jay Gatsby gives Nick Carraway. If not, it's a
> > gallimauffery of cliches.
> >
> > "And indeed, in her sleep she often spoke in what seemed to me foreign
> > languages."
> >
> > Where and how did this dimly imagined vagrant mother pick up these
> > "foreign"
> > languages? Between Savannah and Missoula? And what are they? Italian?
> > Ukrainian? Urdu? Or is it simply English, which Banville seems to have
> > picked up from an online corresponence school.
> >
> > "By the way ... I always take up with restless sleepers." What sparks
> > this
> > thought? Is the narrator sleeping with his mother? "About Daddy OMINOUS
> > HINTS were dropped." These hints, however ominous, seem to amount only
to
> > Daddy's being a dark, sleek-haired French gentleman sort of fellow,
> > "sinisterly" handsome..." Sounds like Rhett Butler. Multi-jeweled watch?
> >
> > No. Undoubtedly the Nabokovian bit is that this cartoon is "idly fondly"
> > (fondling?) a pale little girl perched in his lap."
> >
> > Please don't tell me the last item is an "homage" to Nabokov.
Considering
> > that this is such a small sample of Banville's work,
> > I will withhold my judgement. It's possible that, if there was some
> > humorous
> > intent behind these lines, Banville may not be as vague and untalented
as
> > he
> > seems. But I can't say I'm in any hurry to read Athena.
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2005 1:17 AM
> > Subject: Re: Fwd: Banville and Nabokov
> >
> >
> > > For my money, Banville is a much better example of a contemporary
novelist
> > who
> > > has deeply, and favorably, influenced by VN than the much more
celebrated
> > > Martin Amis. A much better novelist as well. Banville's most
Nabokovian
> > > novel is "Athena," which contains many passages that are outright
homages
> > to
> > > VN, including the following:
> > >
> > > "The first time I hear of Mother she had been born in America, in
> > Savannah, or
> > > Louisana, or some other homonymous bayou of the Deep South, into a
family
> > of
> > > ancient lineage; in subsequent accounts, however, the birthplace
shifted
> > to
> > > Mississippi, then Missouri, and once even, if my ears did not deceive
me,
> > to
> > > Missoula, which my atlas tells me, is a town in the Rocky Moutains in
the
> > > northerly state of Montana, to where I, Melmoth the Bereft, shall
journey
> > on
> > > that circumferential pilgrimage I intend one of these days to
undertake in
> > > search of my lost love. But Missoula! - where on earth did she get
that
> > from?
> > > her father, she said, was Swiss. He had been - I heard it coming
before
> > she
> > > said it - a diplomat in the foreign service, and she had been brought
up
> > all
> > > over the place; and indeed, in her sleep she often spoke in what
seemed to
> > me
> > > foreign languages. (By the way, why is it, I wonder, that I always
take
> > up
> > > with restless sleepers?) About Daddy, ominous hints were dropped; I
> > pictured
> > > a dark, sleek-haired gentilhomme, sinisterly handsome - see his
skier's
> > tan,
> > > his chocolate-dark eyes, his multi-jewelled watch - idly fondly a pale
> > little
> > > girl perched in his lap."
> > >
> > > Banville, "Athena" Vintage paperback, 1996, pp. 122 -123.
> > >
> > > ________________________________
> > >
> > > From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
> > > Sent: Sat 2/12/2005 5:59 PM
> > > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > > Subject: Re: Fwd: Banville and Nabokov
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Thanks to Tom and Michael for these interesting connections.
> > >
> > > Best
> > >
> > >
> > > Brian Howell
> > >
> > >
> > > On Wed, 9 Feb 2005 19:29:17 -0800, "Donald B. Johnson"
> > > <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu> said:
> > > > Although I did not notice Nabokovian echoes in "Shroud", the earlier
> > > > companion
> > > > novel, "Eclipse", has a clear reference to "Lolita" and perhaps
other
> > > > Nabokov
> > > > works. There is a Lolita-like girl (although no pedophilia) and a
ghost
> > > > plot
> > > > that has parallels to certain theories about Hazel Shade's role in
"Pale
> > > > Fire."
> > > >
> > > > For what it's worth, in interviews Banville has acknowledged
Nabokov's
> > > > influence.
> > > >
> > > > Tom Walker
> > > >
> > > > Quoting "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>:
> > > >
> > > > > ----- Forwarded message from mmillea@ifone.com -----
> > > > > Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2005 18:57:20 -0000 (GMT)
> > > > > From: Michael Millea <mmillea@ifone.com>
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Here is Nabokov-de Man link. Nabokov left Cornell in January
1959,
> > and
> > > > > Paul de Man, with his newly minted Harvard doctorate, was hired by
> > Cornell
> > > > > in 1960. Since de Man was a former Nazi and the author of a
number of
> > > > > shrill, trashy anti-Semitic diatribes, Nabokov, whose views on
> > > > > anti-Semitism are well known, probably would have thought he left
> > Cornell
> > > > > at just the right time.
> > > > >
> > > > > Although I've never come across any evidence that Nabokov was even
> > aware
> > > > > of de Man, two of his creations, Professor Hagen and Bodo
Falternfels,
> > > > > give some indication that he must have bumped into similar postwar
> > > > > flotsam.
> > > > >
> > > > > Michael
> > > > >
> > > > > > Andrew - you may be right there, though I just read a review and
> > > > > > apparently the critic (?) Paul de Man was part-inspiration for
the
> > > > > > narrator. I wonder if there is a Nabokov-de Man link. That would
be
> > an
> > > > > > interesting connection.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Brian Howell
> > > >
> > > > ----- End forwarded message -----
> > >
> > > http://www.windriverpress.com/titles/studyofsleep.html
> > > http://www.tobypress.com/books/dance_geometry.htm
> > > ? http://www.elasticpress.com/sound_of_white_ants.htm
> > >
> > > ----- End forwarded message -----
> > >
> > > ----- End forwarded message -----
> >
> > ----- End forwarded message -----
> http://www.windriverpress.com/titles/studyofsleep.html
> http://www.tobypress.com/books/dance_geometry.htm
> http://www.elasticpress.com/sound_of_white_ants.htm
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
----- End forwarded message -----