Subject
Re: Fwd: Re: Nabokov's imagery
From
Date
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" she would run down the steps of a chance sentence, without turning
her head." brought immediately to my mind Lolita´s " the tip of the tongue
taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth"
...
I enjoy Raymond Queneau´s "Exercices de Style" . Is it translated into
English?
Jansy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2004 2:36 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Nabokov's imagery
>
> Thanks for your note, Brian.
>
> I'm afraid I long ago forgot all the terms and descriptions of the various
> forms of imagery. Once I saw a sort of catalog of all the figures
> Shakespeare used and decided then that I would never make a grammarian.
As
> a lifetime reader though, I know what sounds right to me. The test for me
> is if it transfers me from the page to the magical place of the story;
> scenery, action, the feeling of the story, the thoughts of the people.
What
> I think is so fine about the "steps of the chance sentence" is that it so
> perfectly encapsulates the whole theme of the periods of life that the
> writer and Nina shared ... and didn't share. Nobody, in my opinion, has
> ever done it better than N.
>
> A writer that does it for me now, oddly enough, is the espionage writer,
> Alan Furst. If you've never read any of his wonderful books, do yourself
a
> favor and pick one up. I introduced him to Don and he's read them
> all now; a big fan.
>
> Best,
>
> Phil
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 11:30 PM
> Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Nabokov's imagery
>
>
> > That's a wonderful metaphor, Phil. There must be so many, but here are a
> > few I noted from the early story, 'Wingstroke'. These are all similes
> > simply because on another list someone was discussing similes in
> > particular. They are often seen as inferior in writing circles to
> > metaphors, but they have their place:
> >
> > 'Like a detached wing, a ski that had come off his foot was sliding down
> > the hill'
> >
> > 'Someone's curious gaze pricked him like a needle touching the nerve of
> > a tooth' (as above)
> >
> > 'a bluish track along which people flashed with a faint clatter,
> > belly-down on their flat sleds like wooly frogs' (as above)
> >
> > 'Countless ski tracks flowed like shadowy hair down the shoulders of the
> > snowy hills'.
> >
> > Brian
> >
> >
> > On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 20:47:19 -0700, "Donald B. Johnson"
> > <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu> said:
> > > Let's try this again. Previous response apparently having vaporized
> into
> > > cyberspace; either that or unceremoniously rejected by Lord Barton.
> > >
> > > From "Spring in Fialta."
> > >
> > > "Occasionally, in the middle of a conversation her name would be
> > > mentioned,
> > > and she would run down the steps of a chance sentence, without turning
> > > her
> > > head."
> > >
> > > That story, for me, has always seemed to contain some of his finest
> > > imagery;
> > > as well as, somehow, his most heartfelt.
> > >
> > > Phil
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> > > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > > Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 6:35 PM
> > > Subject: Fwd: Nabokov's imagery
> > >
> > >
> > > > I am sure that are many studies, but would anyone care to share any
> > > > comilation of favourite metaphors, similes or other figures of
speech
> > > > from N's works?
> > > >
> > > > Brian Howell
> > > >
> > > > ----- End forwarded message -----
> > >
> > > ----- End forwarded message -----
> >
> > ----- End forwarded message -----
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
----- End forwarded message -----
her head." brought immediately to my mind Lolita´s " the tip of the tongue
taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth"
...
I enjoy Raymond Queneau´s "Exercices de Style" . Is it translated into
English?
Jansy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2004 2:36 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Nabokov's imagery
>
> Thanks for your note, Brian.
>
> I'm afraid I long ago forgot all the terms and descriptions of the various
> forms of imagery. Once I saw a sort of catalog of all the figures
> Shakespeare used and decided then that I would never make a grammarian.
As
> a lifetime reader though, I know what sounds right to me. The test for me
> is if it transfers me from the page to the magical place of the story;
> scenery, action, the feeling of the story, the thoughts of the people.
What
> I think is so fine about the "steps of the chance sentence" is that it so
> perfectly encapsulates the whole theme of the periods of life that the
> writer and Nina shared ... and didn't share. Nobody, in my opinion, has
> ever done it better than N.
>
> A writer that does it for me now, oddly enough, is the espionage writer,
> Alan Furst. If you've never read any of his wonderful books, do yourself
a
> favor and pick one up. I introduced him to Don and he's read them
> all now; a big fan.
>
> Best,
>
> Phil
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 11:30 PM
> Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Nabokov's imagery
>
>
> > That's a wonderful metaphor, Phil. There must be so many, but here are a
> > few I noted from the early story, 'Wingstroke'. These are all similes
> > simply because on another list someone was discussing similes in
> > particular. They are often seen as inferior in writing circles to
> > metaphors, but they have their place:
> >
> > 'Like a detached wing, a ski that had come off his foot was sliding down
> > the hill'
> >
> > 'Someone's curious gaze pricked him like a needle touching the nerve of
> > a tooth' (as above)
> >
> > 'a bluish track along which people flashed with a faint clatter,
> > belly-down on their flat sleds like wooly frogs' (as above)
> >
> > 'Countless ski tracks flowed like shadowy hair down the shoulders of the
> > snowy hills'.
> >
> > Brian
> >
> >
> > On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 20:47:19 -0700, "Donald B. Johnson"
> > <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu> said:
> > > Let's try this again. Previous response apparently having vaporized
> into
> > > cyberspace; either that or unceremoniously rejected by Lord Barton.
> > >
> > > From "Spring in Fialta."
> > >
> > > "Occasionally, in the middle of a conversation her name would be
> > > mentioned,
> > > and she would run down the steps of a chance sentence, without turning
> > > her
> > > head."
> > >
> > > That story, for me, has always seemed to contain some of his finest
> > > imagery;
> > > as well as, somehow, his most heartfelt.
> > >
> > > Phil
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> > > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > > Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 6:35 PM
> > > Subject: Fwd: Nabokov's imagery
> > >
> > >
> > > > I am sure that are many studies, but would anyone care to share any
> > > > comilation of favourite metaphors, similes or other figures of
speech
> > > > from N's works?
> > > >
> > > > Brian Howell
> > > >
> > > > ----- End forwarded message -----
> > >
> > > ----- End forwarded message -----
> >
> > ----- End forwarded message -----
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
----- End forwarded message -----