Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0010543, Mon, 8 Nov 2004 15:43:09 -0800

Subject
Fwd: Re: Ada & Eden
Date
Body
----- Forwarded message from chaiselongue@earthlink.net -----
Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2004 13:08:15 -0800
From: Carolyn <chaiselongue@earthlink.net>

However, VN said that religion was a boring topic for him...
I remember, in Pale Fire, that Shade was bit irritated by a Kinbote's
reference to St Augustin. In Ada, in his discussion on Time, Van evokes
very quickly St Augustin and the theme of eternity. So, I never read
cette Leçon littéraire sur VN, and I wonder if religion is, or not,
a "hidden" theme of the huge masterpiece Ada.

AA



Dear A Andreu,

VN said many things that weren't true ~ & he saw himself as a magician,
prestidigitator, i.e., a master of deception. So to quote him is often less
than convincing in argument. The topic of religion may have been boring for
him in certain contexts - - in conversation perhaps, but if the topic is so
boring, why does it recur so subliminally in Ada? Mathematics seems to be
another of these subliminal themes.

I, too wonder if religion is a hidden theme of the huge masterpiece (maybe)
Ada.

Carolyn

p.s. Attention! not a good idea to confuse any of his characters with VN.

----- End forwarded message -----