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Fwd: Query: Formalism,Hansen-Löve, Merleau-Ponty
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EDNOTE. NABOKV-L tahnks Patrick Flack for his query & especially for his
stunning photograph of "Nabokov's" Lake Geneva. I agree that formalism &
structuralism are certainly germane to VN's writing. My acquaintance with
Merleau-Ponty's work is too slight to comment on its utility as an analytic
tool in literary discussion. Can anyone out there comment?
----- Forwarded message from patrick@flack.ch -----
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2005 11:50:29 +0100
From: Patrick Flack <patrick@flack.ch>
Dear List,
I'm a student of Russian literature and philosophy at the University of
Geneva, currently finishing my master thesis on the evolution of the
epistemological implications of Nabokov's use of language and literary
structure, from Mashenka to Dar. My main point is that Nabokov's use of
language and literary structure can be fruitfully compared with mature
russian formalist (and czech structuralist, i.e. Jakobson's) ideas,
especially with regard to the ultimate epistemological implications of
the "ostranenie" concept. Obviously, this has been defended before, as
early as Khodasevitch, however it seems to me that more often than not,
comparisons between formalism and Nabokov tend to not do justice to the
former, especially regarding its epistemological qualities, as they tend
to focus on more purely literary aspects. In this regard I have a few
questions:
1- Is my last remark a fair one, and if not, can anybody point out texts
which address formalism and Nabokov from an epistemological perspective?
2- I know of one author that does so, Aage Hansen-Löve, in the
concluding chapters of his remarkable monography on russian formalism
(Der Russische Formalismus..., 1975). My question here is that this book
has only recently been translated in Russian (in 2002 I think) and
previously existed only in German: how aware are Nabokov critics of the
cues given by Hansen-Löve and what influence have his ideas had?
3- Someone mentionned on the list a book by Mihajl Lotman "K voprosu
formalisma Nabokova". I met Prof. Lotman in Prague a few months ago, and
he told me he did not wright on Nabokov and formalism. Who, if anybody,
wrote it then?
4- Russian formalist and czech structuralist epistemology can fruitfully
be compared with the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty. Consequently, a
comparison between Nabokov and Merleau-Ponty would also seem
interesting. Is there any literature on the subject?
I wish to thank the list for the great help it has been so far, and I
hope, still forthcoming! Pour le plaisir des yeux, I have included a
little photo of Lake Geneva in the evening, taken right in front of
Nabokov's statue in the Montreux Palace's parc.
Thanks for your time,
PF
----- End forwarded message -----
stunning photograph of "Nabokov's" Lake Geneva. I agree that formalism &
structuralism are certainly germane to VN's writing. My acquaintance with
Merleau-Ponty's work is too slight to comment on its utility as an analytic
tool in literary discussion. Can anyone out there comment?
----- Forwarded message from patrick@flack.ch -----
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2005 11:50:29 +0100
From: Patrick Flack <patrick@flack.ch>
Dear List,
I'm a student of Russian literature and philosophy at the University of
Geneva, currently finishing my master thesis on the evolution of the
epistemological implications of Nabokov's use of language and literary
structure, from Mashenka to Dar. My main point is that Nabokov's use of
language and literary structure can be fruitfully compared with mature
russian formalist (and czech structuralist, i.e. Jakobson's) ideas,
especially with regard to the ultimate epistemological implications of
the "ostranenie" concept. Obviously, this has been defended before, as
early as Khodasevitch, however it seems to me that more often than not,
comparisons between formalism and Nabokov tend to not do justice to the
former, especially regarding its epistemological qualities, as they tend
to focus on more purely literary aspects. In this regard I have a few
questions:
1- Is my last remark a fair one, and if not, can anybody point out texts
which address formalism and Nabokov from an epistemological perspective?
2- I know of one author that does so, Aage Hansen-Löve, in the
concluding chapters of his remarkable monography on russian formalism
(Der Russische Formalismus..., 1975). My question here is that this book
has only recently been translated in Russian (in 2002 I think) and
previously existed only in German: how aware are Nabokov critics of the
cues given by Hansen-Löve and what influence have his ideas had?
3- Someone mentionned on the list a book by Mihajl Lotman "K voprosu
formalisma Nabokova". I met Prof. Lotman in Prague a few months ago, and
he told me he did not wright on Nabokov and formalism. Who, if anybody,
wrote it then?
4- Russian formalist and czech structuralist epistemology can fruitfully
be compared with the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty. Consequently, a
comparison between Nabokov and Merleau-Ponty would also seem
interesting. Is there any literature on the subject?
I wish to thank the list for the great help it has been so far, and I
hope, still forthcoming! Pour le plaisir des yeux, I have included a
little photo of Lake Geneva in the evening, taken right in front of
Nabokov's statue in the Montreux Palace's parc.
Thanks for your time,
PF
----- End forwarded message -----
