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O. Wilde and Dorian Gray (fwd)
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---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Date: Thursday, August 12, 2004 10:56 PM -0300
From: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Subject: O. Wilde and Dorian Gray
------------------ Dear Don,
Our list is now quite far from "The Vane sisters" and "Pale Fire" (
although we remain, as always, on themes like "the double" and "mirrors"),
after I came across a long forgotten collection of novels by Oscar Wilde I
began to wonder if VN could have been making some reference to Wilde´s
unhappy character, Sybil Vane, when he chose these two names for his
characters?
I´m aware that both names carry associations that are much explored ( Vane,
like a weather-vane or as in "vain"; Sybil, mythological sooth-sayer) but
its occurrence in this particular story of Wilde may serve to broaden the
field of hidden references and associations when employed elsewhere.
Has anyone explored this already? Does it make sense?
I googled some quick reminder: Sybil Vane: The beautiful and talented
actress with whom Dorian falls in love. The world of the theatre is all she
has known, and when she falls in real love, she realizes the falsity of the
stage, acting very poorly on the night that Dorian brings Basil and Henry to
watch her. Dorian is crestfallen, and leaves her, telling her that he loved
her for her beautiful talent. She kills herself the night he leaves, knowing
that she can no longer live a false life when she has had real love.
Jansy
---------- End Forwarded Message ----------
D. Barton Johnson
NABOKV-L
Date: Thursday, August 12, 2004 10:56 PM -0300
From: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Subject: O. Wilde and Dorian Gray
------------------ Dear Don,
Our list is now quite far from "The Vane sisters" and "Pale Fire" (
although we remain, as always, on themes like "the double" and "mirrors"),
after I came across a long forgotten collection of novels by Oscar Wilde I
began to wonder if VN could have been making some reference to Wilde´s
unhappy character, Sybil Vane, when he chose these two names for his
characters?
I´m aware that both names carry associations that are much explored ( Vane,
like a weather-vane or as in "vain"; Sybil, mythological sooth-sayer) but
its occurrence in this particular story of Wilde may serve to broaden the
field of hidden references and associations when employed elsewhere.
Has anyone explored this already? Does it make sense?
I googled some quick reminder: Sybil Vane: The beautiful and talented
actress with whom Dorian falls in love. The world of the theatre is all she
has known, and when she falls in real love, she realizes the falsity of the
stage, acting very poorly on the night that Dorian brings Basil and Henry to
watch her. Dorian is crestfallen, and leaves her, telling her that he loved
her for her beautiful talent. She kills herself the night he leaves, knowing
that she can no longer live a false life when she has had real love.
Jansy
---------- End Forwarded Message ----------
D. Barton Johnson
NABOKV-L