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Fw: well, well, Wells & the Villa Armina?
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Boyd (FOA ENG)" <b.boyd@auckland.ac.nz>
To: "'D. Barton Johnson '" <chtodel@cox.net>
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2004 12:52 AM
Subject: RE: well, well, Wells & the Villa Armina?
> Lake Van is explicit in the novel of course, but all the other Armeniana
are
> great finds, Carolyn (and help explain the prominence of Armenia at
> strategic points at the beginning of parts 2 and 2), as is the
Baguenaudier
> hint. The knot thickens!
>
> BB
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: D. Barton Johnson
> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> Sent: 2/1/2004 1:32 PM
> Subject: Fw: well, well, Wells & the Villa Armina?
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Carolyn Kunin <mailto:chaiselongue@earthlink.net>
> To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 3:15 PM
> Subject: Re: well, well, Wells & the Villa Armina?
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear Brian Boyd and the List,
>
>
> H G Wells wrote a novel called "All Aboard for Ararat," about a modern
> day Mr. Noah (I fell asleep over it last night so haven't gotten very
> far), which may (or may not) have something to do with Ada.
>
> Although, as with most of Ada, I haven't the faintest idea of what to do
> with it, I have spotted a whole complex of references to Armenia in the
> novel. On the most basic level, Van's name refers to the city and lake
> of that name where there was an ancient "Kingdom of Van." Marina's villa
> Armina isn't an anagram of Marina's name or the sea, but an old name for
> Armenia. When Van dreams of his "ancient kingdom of arrowroot" he (or
> VN) is making reference to Ararat, the mountain near Van where the ark
> is believed to have come to rest after the flood. There are other
> references.
>
> There may be a geographic link to the Paradise theme (or an old
> Armenian saying: "Van in this world, Paradise in the next") . Or there
> may be a link with some of the references to the Caucasus (Tolstoy,
> Lermontov, Pushkin and Griboyedov all had links to this part of the old
> Russian empire).
>
> But just what it all adds up to -- I haven't the faintest idea.
>
> Carolyn
>
> p.s. I'm not sure if I spotted it in Gardener's AU or more likely in
> another of his books, but the Baganaudier Bower (or however it spells
> itself) is a reference to a mathematical (or topographical) puzzle.
>
From: "Brian Boyd (FOA ENG)" <b.boyd@auckland.ac.nz>
To: "'D. Barton Johnson '" <chtodel@cox.net>
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2004 12:52 AM
Subject: RE: well, well, Wells & the Villa Armina?
> Lake Van is explicit in the novel of course, but all the other Armeniana
are
> great finds, Carolyn (and help explain the prominence of Armenia at
> strategic points at the beginning of parts 2 and 2), as is the
Baguenaudier
> hint. The knot thickens!
>
> BB
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: D. Barton Johnson
> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> Sent: 2/1/2004 1:32 PM
> Subject: Fw: well, well, Wells & the Villa Armina?
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Carolyn Kunin <mailto:chaiselongue@earthlink.net>
> To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 3:15 PM
> Subject: Re: well, well, Wells & the Villa Armina?
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear Brian Boyd and the List,
>
>
> H G Wells wrote a novel called "All Aboard for Ararat," about a modern
> day Mr. Noah (I fell asleep over it last night so haven't gotten very
> far), which may (or may not) have something to do with Ada.
>
> Although, as with most of Ada, I haven't the faintest idea of what to do
> with it, I have spotted a whole complex of references to Armenia in the
> novel. On the most basic level, Van's name refers to the city and lake
> of that name where there was an ancient "Kingdom of Van." Marina's villa
> Armina isn't an anagram of Marina's name or the sea, but an old name for
> Armenia. When Van dreams of his "ancient kingdom of arrowroot" he (or
> VN) is making reference to Ararat, the mountain near Van where the ark
> is believed to have come to rest after the flood. There are other
> references.
>
> There may be a geographic link to the Paradise theme (or an old
> Armenian saying: "Van in this world, Paradise in the next") . Or there
> may be a link with some of the references to the Caucasus (Tolstoy,
> Lermontov, Pushkin and Griboyedov all had links to this part of the old
> Russian empire).
>
> But just what it all adds up to -- I haven't the faintest idea.
>
> Carolyn
>
> p.s. I'm not sure if I spotted it in Gardener's AU or more likely in
> another of his books, but the Baganaudier Bower (or however it spells
> itself) is a reference to a mathematical (or topographical) puzzle.
>