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Fw: Fw: more thoughts on the creepy 'Wingstroke'
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EDNOTE. An interesting thought from Dane Gill who catches the links between
"Wingstroke" and TRANSPARENT THINGS written 50 years later. No less than
Simon Karlinsky greeted TT with an article noting its links with "The Return
of Chorb", another very early tale of VN.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dane Gill" <pennyparkerpark@hotmail.com>
>
> ---------------- Message requiring your approval (103
lines) ------------------
> I am unable to read/write or understand Russian and therefore I cannot
> comment on the original as suggested by Johnson, but I can make one
comment
> that may be of interest to somebody.
> This week I've been rereading Transparent Things and couldn't help notice
> its distant kinship with Wingstroke, what with the sking and quasi angel
> narrators and death themes.
> Dane
>
>
> >From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net>
> >Reply-To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> >To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> >Subject: Fw: more thoughts on the creepy 'Wingstroke'
> >Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2004 14:14:22 -0800
> >
> >EDNOTE. Brian Howell has caught a number of very typical Nabokovian
> >stylistic elements in "Wingstroke." It would be interesting if someone
took
> >a look at the Russian original especially in re the glinting and sliding
> >terms.
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Brian Howell" <pakmshlter@yahoo.com>
> > >
> > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (73
> >lines) ------------------
> > > Some more thoughts on Nabokov's Wingstroke (1924):
> > >
> > > I think it was Dane who mentioned the creepiness of
> > > Wingstroke, so I gave the story another read and I
> > > want to write down my thoughts before I forget them,
> > > though I haven't read such a startling story as this
> > > in a while. This is all very provisional, but here
> > > goes.
> > >
> > > On a closer reading of Wingstroke, what stands out to
> > > me are the theme of suicide, the numerous references
> > > to it, and the symmetry of both Kern's wife's suicide
> > > and his own intended one (which may be the coda to the
> > > story, though we do not actually witness him carry it
> > > out, as Monfiori is so eager to do). Then there is the
> > > crashing and presumably the death of the angel, its
> > > twisted wings, rhymed with the death of Isabel in her
> > > skiing accident.
> > >
> > > The other obvious ever-present factor is the numerous
> > > references to glinting and sparkling. Many of these
> > > words are repeated (I am not sure if that is so in the
> > > Russian or whether - no pun intended - it reflects
> > > Nabokov's immaturity at this time), though there are
> > > plenty of synonyms. I won't give all the examples, but
> > > even Isabel is referred to as Kern's 'latest bright
> > > scrap'. There is also a lot of foreshadowing as in the
> > > mention of Kern's chest and ribs of light on the
> > > ceiling of his hotel room from early on in.
> > >
> > > My favourite passage - the appearance of the angel in
> > > Isabel's room apart - is where Kern is trying to fall
> > > asleep and seems to experience something like
> > > hypnagogic visions: 'When his eyes closed again,
> > > silent sparks started to glide [another word that is
> > > used a lot in the story] in front of him, then
> > > infinitely unwinding transparent spirals. Isabel's
> > > snowy eyes and fiery mouth flashed past, then came
> > > sparks and spirals again.'
> > >
> > > There are two very creepy aspects, of course. The
> > > scene with the angel is quite stunning and it's like
> > > nothing I've read in N so far. I could not help
> > > thinking of the monster in Lars van Trier's The
> > > Kingdom or the monster in the jar in The Asphyx, a
> > > very scary horror film form the early seventies with
> > > Christopher Lee.
> > >
> > > Then we get Isabel actually saying that see saw the
> > > angel in the air as she was skiing the previous
> > > evening and that he came to her in the night.
> > >
> > > Monfiori's 'caprine' eyes might imply that he is the
> > > devil; the fact that he encourages Kern to commit
> > > suicide and is eager to witness him go through with
> > > it. We also have references to the hotel that 'blazed'
> > > in the mountains and 'scalding' snow.
> > >
> > > But there are also too many gorgeous images throughout
> > > the story to list.
> > >
> > > Hope this is of interest.
> > >
> > > Brian
> > >
> > > =====
> > > http://www.elasticpress.com/sound_of_white_ants.htm
> > > http://www.tobypress.com/books/dance_geometry.htm
> > >
> > > __________________________________
> > > Do you Yahoo!?
> > > New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
> > > http://photos.yahoo.com/
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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>
"Wingstroke" and TRANSPARENT THINGS written 50 years later. No less than
Simon Karlinsky greeted TT with an article noting its links with "The Return
of Chorb", another very early tale of VN.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dane Gill" <pennyparkerpark@hotmail.com>
>
> ---------------- Message requiring your approval (103
lines) ------------------
> I am unable to read/write or understand Russian and therefore I cannot
> comment on the original as suggested by Johnson, but I can make one
comment
> that may be of interest to somebody.
> This week I've been rereading Transparent Things and couldn't help notice
> its distant kinship with Wingstroke, what with the sking and quasi angel
> narrators and death themes.
> Dane
>
>
> >From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net>
> >Reply-To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> >To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> >Subject: Fw: more thoughts on the creepy 'Wingstroke'
> >Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2004 14:14:22 -0800
> >
> >EDNOTE. Brian Howell has caught a number of very typical Nabokovian
> >stylistic elements in "Wingstroke." It would be interesting if someone
took
> >a look at the Russian original especially in re the glinting and sliding
> >terms.
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Brian Howell" <pakmshlter@yahoo.com>
> > >
> > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (73
> >lines) ------------------
> > > Some more thoughts on Nabokov's Wingstroke (1924):
> > >
> > > I think it was Dane who mentioned the creepiness of
> > > Wingstroke, so I gave the story another read and I
> > > want to write down my thoughts before I forget them,
> > > though I haven't read such a startling story as this
> > > in a while. This is all very provisional, but here
> > > goes.
> > >
> > > On a closer reading of Wingstroke, what stands out to
> > > me are the theme of suicide, the numerous references
> > > to it, and the symmetry of both Kern's wife's suicide
> > > and his own intended one (which may be the coda to the
> > > story, though we do not actually witness him carry it
> > > out, as Monfiori is so eager to do). Then there is the
> > > crashing and presumably the death of the angel, its
> > > twisted wings, rhymed with the death of Isabel in her
> > > skiing accident.
> > >
> > > The other obvious ever-present factor is the numerous
> > > references to glinting and sparkling. Many of these
> > > words are repeated (I am not sure if that is so in the
> > > Russian or whether - no pun intended - it reflects
> > > Nabokov's immaturity at this time), though there are
> > > plenty of synonyms. I won't give all the examples, but
> > > even Isabel is referred to as Kern's 'latest bright
> > > scrap'. There is also a lot of foreshadowing as in the
> > > mention of Kern's chest and ribs of light on the
> > > ceiling of his hotel room from early on in.
> > >
> > > My favourite passage - the appearance of the angel in
> > > Isabel's room apart - is where Kern is trying to fall
> > > asleep and seems to experience something like
> > > hypnagogic visions: 'When his eyes closed again,
> > > silent sparks started to glide [another word that is
> > > used a lot in the story] in front of him, then
> > > infinitely unwinding transparent spirals. Isabel's
> > > snowy eyes and fiery mouth flashed past, then came
> > > sparks and spirals again.'
> > >
> > > There are two very creepy aspects, of course. The
> > > scene with the angel is quite stunning and it's like
> > > nothing I've read in N so far. I could not help
> > > thinking of the monster in Lars van Trier's The
> > > Kingdom or the monster in the jar in The Asphyx, a
> > > very scary horror film form the early seventies with
> > > Christopher Lee.
> > >
> > > Then we get Isabel actually saying that see saw the
> > > angel in the air as she was skiing the previous
> > > evening and that he came to her in the night.
> > >
> > > Monfiori's 'caprine' eyes might imply that he is the
> > > devil; the fact that he encourages Kern to commit
> > > suicide and is eager to witness him go through with
> > > it. We also have references to the hotel that 'blazed'
> > > in the mountains and 'scalding' snow.
> > >
> > > But there are also too many gorgeous images throughout
> > > the story to list.
> > >
> > > Hope this is of interest.
> > >
> > > Brian
> > >
> > > =====
> > > http://www.elasticpress.com/sound_of_white_ants.htm
> > > http://www.tobypress.com/books/dance_geometry.htm
> > >
> > > __________________________________
> > > Do you Yahoo!?
> > > New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
> > > http://photos.yahoo.com/
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE*
>
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>