Subject
Fw: Fw: Fw: Leonardo.
From
Date
Body
----- Original Message -----
From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 6:22 PM
Subject: Fw: Fw: Leonardo.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello" <jansy@aetern.us>
> To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 3:47 PM
> Subject: Re: Fw: Leonardo.
>
> > Dear Don and List,
> >
> > While I was researching about "Rastelli" I wrote Don a small note which
> > should now be distributed to those on the List who haven´t received it.
> >
> > I wrote:
> > I had put my stakes on the "Italian" texts ( Allepo, Fialta...) and I
> > discovered a curious story about two brothers, not twins, with a play
with
> > space-time and a small doll hidden under a bed. One of the brothers was
> > Anton, like in the Lichberg story. VN´s was " The Leonardo" and you
> > remember, there he writes about illusions, counterfeits and
falsifications
> > ( actually, a common theme, as it also arises in La Veneziana...). I
was
> > not too thorough but I couldn´t find Rastelli in them either.
> >
> > I did not want to bring fuel to the discussion about VN and von
Lichberg!
> > In my opinion the distance that separates VN´s work from von Lichberg´s
is
> > too big. To take VN´s analogies, imageries, quotes and references (
we´ve
> > already had this intertextuality discussion before, and many, many many
> > others ) to approach their oeuvre - almost if they were comparable -
> makes
> > no sense to me.
> >
> > Jansy
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net>
> > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 7:12 PM
> > Subject: Fw: Leonardo.
> >
> >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Michael Maar" <michael.maar@snafu.de>
> > > >
> > > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (37
> > > lines) ------------------
> > > > Dear list,
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello is right to point at Nabokov's story
"The
> > > Leonardo",
> > > > and his discovery of the "small doll hidden under a bed" is an
> > exquisitely
> > > > subtle point. Nevertheless one should mention the most striking
> > similarity
> > > with
> > > > Lichberg's "Lolita". Not only that one of the brothers, as he
> mentions,
> > is
> > > > called "Anton" like in Lichberg's tale. Not only that they
> > metaphorically
> > > appear
> > > > like twins ("Red sweater and gray went up the window and actually
> leaned
> > > out,
> > > > becoming identical twins.") On the same page a strange thing happens
> > with
> > > those
> > > > two aggressive brothers.
> > > >
> > > > "Meanwhile the brothers began to swell, to grow, they filled up the
> > whole
> > > room,
> > > > the whole house, and then grew out if it. (...) Gigantic,
imperiouskly
> > > reeking
> > > > of sweat and beer, with beefy voices and senseless speeches, with
> fecal
> > > matter
> > > > replacing the human brain, they provoke a tremor of ignoble fear."
> > > >
> > > > Compare this with that very remarkable scene of the other Anton and
> his
> > > > twin-brother in Lichberg's "Lolita" when Lola is challenging them
just
> > > before
> > > > being killed by one of them - like the "Leonardo" of Nabokov's story
> > will
> > > be:
> > > >
> > > > "'I will love whoever is tallest.' Their eyes flashed and the men
> seemed
> > > to grow
> > > > taller and taller, their necks lengthened and thickened, and their
> > sleeves
> > > burst
> > > > right down to the elbows. Their faces became so ugly and distorted,
> that
> > I
> > > > feared their bones would break."
> > > >
> > > > An ugly couple of (twin-)brothers, one of them Anton, in a
> > > phantasmagorical
> > > > growing-scene (even if you leave the hidden doll and the
> > > > Leonardo-Gioconda-complex out) - coincidence? Come on!
> > > >
> > > > Best wishes
> > > > Michael Maar
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 6:22 PM
Subject: Fw: Fw: Leonardo.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello" <jansy@aetern.us>
> To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 3:47 PM
> Subject: Re: Fw: Leonardo.
>
> > Dear Don and List,
> >
> > While I was researching about "Rastelli" I wrote Don a small note which
> > should now be distributed to those on the List who haven´t received it.
> >
> > I wrote:
> > I had put my stakes on the "Italian" texts ( Allepo, Fialta...) and I
> > discovered a curious story about two brothers, not twins, with a play
with
> > space-time and a small doll hidden under a bed. One of the brothers was
> > Anton, like in the Lichberg story. VN´s was " The Leonardo" and you
> > remember, there he writes about illusions, counterfeits and
falsifications
> > ( actually, a common theme, as it also arises in La Veneziana...). I
was
> > not too thorough but I couldn´t find Rastelli in them either.
> >
> > I did not want to bring fuel to the discussion about VN and von
Lichberg!
> > In my opinion the distance that separates VN´s work from von Lichberg´s
is
> > too big. To take VN´s analogies, imageries, quotes and references (
we´ve
> > already had this intertextuality discussion before, and many, many many
> > others ) to approach their oeuvre - almost if they were comparable -
> makes
> > no sense to me.
> >
> > Jansy
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net>
> > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 7:12 PM
> > Subject: Fw: Leonardo.
> >
> >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Michael Maar" <michael.maar@snafu.de>
> > > >
> > > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (37
> > > lines) ------------------
> > > > Dear list,
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello is right to point at Nabokov's story
"The
> > > Leonardo",
> > > > and his discovery of the "small doll hidden under a bed" is an
> > exquisitely
> > > > subtle point. Nevertheless one should mention the most striking
> > similarity
> > > with
> > > > Lichberg's "Lolita". Not only that one of the brothers, as he
> mentions,
> > is
> > > > called "Anton" like in Lichberg's tale. Not only that they
> > metaphorically
> > > appear
> > > > like twins ("Red sweater and gray went up the window and actually
> leaned
> > > out,
> > > > becoming identical twins.") On the same page a strange thing happens
> > with
> > > those
> > > > two aggressive brothers.
> > > >
> > > > "Meanwhile the brothers began to swell, to grow, they filled up the
> > whole
> > > room,
> > > > the whole house, and then grew out if it. (...) Gigantic,
imperiouskly
> > > reeking
> > > > of sweat and beer, with beefy voices and senseless speeches, with
> fecal
> > > matter
> > > > replacing the human brain, they provoke a tremor of ignoble fear."
> > > >
> > > > Compare this with that very remarkable scene of the other Anton and
> his
> > > > twin-brother in Lichberg's "Lolita" when Lola is challenging them
just
> > > before
> > > > being killed by one of them - like the "Leonardo" of Nabokov's story
> > will
> > > be:
> > > >
> > > > "'I will love whoever is tallest.' Their eyes flashed and the men
> seemed
> > > to grow
> > > > taller and taller, their necks lengthened and thickened, and their
> > sleeves
> > > burst
> > > > right down to the elbows. Their faces became so ugly and distorted,
> that
> > I
> > > > feared their bones would break."
> > > >
> > > > An ugly couple of (twin-)brothers, one of them Anton, in a
> > > phantasmagorical
> > > > growing-scene (even if you leave the hidden doll and the
> > > > Leonardo-Gioconda-complex out) - coincidence? Come on!
> > > >
> > > > Best wishes
> > > > Michael Maar
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >