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Fwd: Re: Why did Pale Fire's Disa laugh?
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----- Forwarded message from chaiselongue@earthlink.net -----
Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 07:48:04 -0800
From: Carolyn Kunin <chaiselongue@earthlink.net>
Reply-To: Carolyn Kunin <chaiselongue@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: Why did Pale Fire's Disa laugh?
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Dear Mike,
The "family jewels" joke, it seems to me, is more of a verbal gag than a
visual one, and so the shape of the literal jewels is not essential to the
gag.
The expression "family jewels" is yours - - Kinbote speaks often, but only,
of "crown jewels" - - surely not a distinction that requires any expertise.
The family jewels are, so to speak, where the family jewels would be
expected to be.
Buried in a hole in the ground?
Perhaps a jewelry expert could tell us: is it laughable that some
18th-century Zemblan emperor, maybe even Uran the Last, might have added a
piece of paste jewelry to the crown-jewel collection?
The cold hard fact is that, even in the novel Pale Fire, there is no actual
Zembla, hence no actual crown jewels. So if the country & its jewels are
paste, why not just let the Russians have them and keep the last laugh for
yourself?
Let's agree to disagree on this one,
Carolyn
----- End forwarded message -----