Subject
Fw: Fw: Prefaces and Amis
From
Date
Body
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kenny, Glenn" <gkenny@hfmus.com>
>
> ---------------- Message requiring your approval (147
lines) ------------------
> My suspicion that Amis might have been "oddly flattered" was based on his
> own brushing off of the replacement of the John Ray Jr. preface with his
own
> introduction as "a naive editorial error" rather than the monumental
howler
> that it is. And it is a monumental howler. Sorry to have earned Mr.
Brown's
> disapprobation. You'd think I'd strangled one of Amis's cats or something.
> As for Mr. Brown's second occasion for frothing, I have no "authority"
> besides some anecdotal material and, of course, the business I cite from
the
> Sorrentino book.
>
> > ----------
> > From: D. Barton Johnson
> > Reply To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 12:47 PM
> > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > Subject: Fw: Fw: Prefaces and Amis
> >
> > EDNOTE. To the following melange of observations, I would speculate that
> > undergrads are more likely to read the prefaces and skip/skim the text
> > whereas the public is more likely to skip/skim the text but not the
> > prefaces. VN put newspaper reviewers in a special category in his
preface
> > to
> > THE DEFeNSE implying they don't read the books at all. His introduction
> > to
> > that novels cites two/scene that aren't in the book at all.
> > -----------------------------------------------------
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Andrew Brown" <as-brown@comcast.net>
> > > "I suspect Amis might have been oddly flattered. This
> > > should not have been the case."
> > >
> > >
> > > Excuse me, this is a little obtuse. Amis is, if nothing else, a huge
> > admirer
> > > of Nabokov, a friend to Nabokov's son, a literary purist and a man of
> > > exacting literary standards. Your accusation is groundless. So is your
> > > statement that "many of the book's readers skip the preface entirely."
> > On
> > > what authority do you make this reEDNOTE
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Kenny, Glenn" <gkenny@hfmus.com>
> > > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > > Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 9:24 PM
> > > Subject: Fw: Prefaces and Amis
> >
> > > > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (66
> > > > lines) ------------------
> > > > > I might imagine Amis might have been able to work up a little more
> > > > > indignation. Removing such a vital part of the book is hardly
> > naive-it's
> > > > > unspeakably dumb. I suspect Amis might have been oddly flattered.
> > This
> > > > > should not have been the case.
> > > > >
> > > > > But all this reminds me of the fact that many of the book's
readers
> > do
> > > in
> > > > > fact, skip the preface entirely. One might surmise that one reader
> > many
> > > > may
> > > > > call distinguished did the very thing. In his discursive 1971
novel
> > > > > "Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things," Gilbert Sorrentino gets
a
> > bit
> > > > > indignant himself ruminating on the post-"Lolita" life of Dolores
> > Haze.
> > > I
> > > > > don't have the actual book in front of me (nor shall I ever,
because
> > > after
> > > > > reading the passage I tossed it out, and decided to never have
> > anything
> > > to
> > > > > do with Sorrentino again) but the passage made it pretty clear
that
> > > > > Sorrentino was A) writing in his own voice, not that of any
> > "unreliable"
> > > > > narrator and B) absolutely unaware that Dolores Haze is dead as
the
> > book
> > > > > begins (is that a spoiler?) indicating that he either skipped Mr.
> > Ray's
> > > > > words or wasn't able to put two and two together. Indolence or
> > > > > ignorance-either quality seemed to me a sufficient reason to shun
> > this
> > > > > writer for the rest of my days.
> > > > >
> > > > > GK
> > > > >
> > > > > > ----------
> > > > > > From: D. Barton Johnson
> > > > > > Reply To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
> > > > > > Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 11:23 AM
> > > > > > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > > > > > Subject: Fw: Prefaces and Amis
> > > > > >
> > > > > > EDNOTE. Suellen Stringer-Hye is the long time compiler of a
> > series
> > of
> > > > > > "Collations" summariziing news of VN in the media. Many of these
> > are
> > > now
> > > > > > in
> > > > > > the Zembla web site.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > > From: "Stringer-Hye, Suellen"
> > <suellen.stringer-hye@vanderbilt.edu>
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (24
> > > > > > lines) ------------------
> > > > > > > Combining two recent threads. From VNColations #10
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ***********************************
> > > > > > > The November 16, Evening Standard reports this amusing
anecdote.
> > > > > > > Everyman Press, for a new edition of Lolita has,
> > > > > > > "...just made a textual error in a new edition for the
Everyman
> > > > > > > Library resulting in the abandonment of its first run. Such a
> > > > > > > disaster was the last thing the firm had in mind when it
> > > > > > > commissioned Martin Amis ... to write a fresh introduction to
> > the
> > > > > > > novel.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > So delighted was the publisher, David Campbell, with Amis's 19
> > > > > > > pages that he substituted them for the book's foreward,
written
> > by
> > > > > > > John Ray Jr, PhD."
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Amis called it a "a naive editorial error," a fact that does
not
> > in
> > > > > > > any way diminish its charm.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ---------------------------------------
> > > > > > > Stringer-Hye, Suellen
> > > > > > > Vanderbilt University
> > > > > > > Email: suellen.stringer-hye@Vanderbilt.Edu
> > > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > mark? Keep in mind that student readers
> > > under duress, and academics in general, make up only portion of
> > Nabokov's
> > international readership.
> >
> >
From: "Kenny, Glenn" <gkenny@hfmus.com>
>
> ---------------- Message requiring your approval (147
lines) ------------------
> My suspicion that Amis might have been "oddly flattered" was based on his
> own brushing off of the replacement of the John Ray Jr. preface with his
own
> introduction as "a naive editorial error" rather than the monumental
howler
> that it is. And it is a monumental howler. Sorry to have earned Mr.
Brown's
> disapprobation. You'd think I'd strangled one of Amis's cats or something.
> As for Mr. Brown's second occasion for frothing, I have no "authority"
> besides some anecdotal material and, of course, the business I cite from
the
> Sorrentino book.
>
> > ----------
> > From: D. Barton Johnson
> > Reply To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 12:47 PM
> > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > Subject: Fw: Fw: Prefaces and Amis
> >
> > EDNOTE. To the following melange of observations, I would speculate that
> > undergrads are more likely to read the prefaces and skip/skim the text
> > whereas the public is more likely to skip/skim the text but not the
> > prefaces. VN put newspaper reviewers in a special category in his
preface
> > to
> > THE DEFeNSE implying they don't read the books at all. His introduction
> > to
> > that novels cites two/scene that aren't in the book at all.
> > -----------------------------------------------------
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Andrew Brown" <as-brown@comcast.net>
> > > "I suspect Amis might have been oddly flattered. This
> > > should not have been the case."
> > >
> > >
> > > Excuse me, this is a little obtuse. Amis is, if nothing else, a huge
> > admirer
> > > of Nabokov, a friend to Nabokov's son, a literary purist and a man of
> > > exacting literary standards. Your accusation is groundless. So is your
> > > statement that "many of the book's readers skip the preface entirely."
> > On
> > > what authority do you make this reEDNOTE
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Kenny, Glenn" <gkenny@hfmus.com>
> > > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > > Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 9:24 PM
> > > Subject: Fw: Prefaces and Amis
> >
> > > > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (66
> > > > lines) ------------------
> > > > > I might imagine Amis might have been able to work up a little more
> > > > > indignation. Removing such a vital part of the book is hardly
> > naive-it's
> > > > > unspeakably dumb. I suspect Amis might have been oddly flattered.
> > This
> > > > > should not have been the case.
> > > > >
> > > > > But all this reminds me of the fact that many of the book's
readers
> > do
> > > in
> > > > > fact, skip the preface entirely. One might surmise that one reader
> > many
> > > > may
> > > > > call distinguished did the very thing. In his discursive 1971
novel
> > > > > "Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things," Gilbert Sorrentino gets
a
> > bit
> > > > > indignant himself ruminating on the post-"Lolita" life of Dolores
> > Haze.
> > > I
> > > > > don't have the actual book in front of me (nor shall I ever,
because
> > > after
> > > > > reading the passage I tossed it out, and decided to never have
> > anything
> > > to
> > > > > do with Sorrentino again) but the passage made it pretty clear
that
> > > > > Sorrentino was A) writing in his own voice, not that of any
> > "unreliable"
> > > > > narrator and B) absolutely unaware that Dolores Haze is dead as
the
> > book
> > > > > begins (is that a spoiler?) indicating that he either skipped Mr.
> > Ray's
> > > > > words or wasn't able to put two and two together. Indolence or
> > > > > ignorance-either quality seemed to me a sufficient reason to shun
> > this
> > > > > writer for the rest of my days.
> > > > >
> > > > > GK
> > > > >
> > > > > > ----------
> > > > > > From: D. Barton Johnson
> > > > > > Reply To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
> > > > > > Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 11:23 AM
> > > > > > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > > > > > Subject: Fw: Prefaces and Amis
> > > > > >
> > > > > > EDNOTE. Suellen Stringer-Hye is the long time compiler of a
> > series
> > of
> > > > > > "Collations" summariziing news of VN in the media. Many of these
> > are
> > > now
> > > > > > in
> > > > > > the Zembla web site.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > > From: "Stringer-Hye, Suellen"
> > <suellen.stringer-hye@vanderbilt.edu>
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (24
> > > > > > lines) ------------------
> > > > > > > Combining two recent threads. From VNColations #10
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ***********************************
> > > > > > > The November 16, Evening Standard reports this amusing
anecdote.
> > > > > > > Everyman Press, for a new edition of Lolita has,
> > > > > > > "...just made a textual error in a new edition for the
Everyman
> > > > > > > Library resulting in the abandonment of its first run. Such a
> > > > > > > disaster was the last thing the firm had in mind when it
> > > > > > > commissioned Martin Amis ... to write a fresh introduction to
> > the
> > > > > > > novel.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > So delighted was the publisher, David Campbell, with Amis's 19
> > > > > > > pages that he substituted them for the book's foreward,
written
> > by
> > > > > > > John Ray Jr, PhD."
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Amis called it a "a naive editorial error," a fact that does
not
> > in
> > > > > > > any way diminish its charm.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ---------------------------------------
> > > > > > > Stringer-Hye, Suellen
> > > > > > > Vanderbilt University
> > > > > > > Email: suellen.stringer-hye@Vanderbilt.Edu
> > > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > mark? Keep in mind that student readers
> > > under duress, and academics in general, make up only portion of
> > Nabokov's
> > international readership.
> >
> >