Subject
Discussion topic For NABOKV-L
From
Date
Body
EDNOTE. Perhaps some of you out there might have some thoughts about the
issues raised by Mr. Fippinger here.
----- Original Message -----
FROM: <afippinger@wesleyan.edu>
> > This is an email for the Nabokov-L listserv. You will chose, of
course,
>> whether or not to post it, but at the very least, I hope that you can
advise
> > me. I know that this sounds like a cosmic crisis of sorts, but it has
> > managed to blow way out of proportion in my life, and I need response.
I
> > am a senior undergraduate at Wesleyan University, a Russian major, and
> > an avid Nabokov reader and student. I have always loved reading
> > Nabokov and after eight years, I finally took a course on "Nabokov and
> > Cultural Synthesis" this past semester with Priscilla Meyer, whose work
> > on Pale Fire was ground breaking (and I say that having read hers and
> > Boyd's books along with several articles, not simply because she was my
> > professor). I found that I was very, very confused with Nabokov's
novels.
> > Lolita, which I have now read four times, in particular I found
extremely
> > difficult to understand. I don't know whether Nabokov has asked me to
> > read too much into his books, and therefore I assume that most of his
> > writing is over my head, or whether it really is all over my head. The
level
> > at which VN requires his readers to read makes me feel as though I am
> > at best an attentive reader, but nothing more. I question whether I
have
> > any future whatsoever in scholarly literary studies when books such as
> > Despair (which I have also read four times) or Sebastian Knight (three
> > times) continuously throw me for a loop and leave me feeling as though I
> > understand the novel worse than after I had read the backcover for the
first
> > time. I love Nabokov, I love his style, his mastery of the language
> > (English, of course, and I have also read Otchayanie in Russian), and
his
> > deep grasp of subtextual complications and motif placement, but I still
> > feel without reward or at least without comprhension having read and
> > "reread," as he would require, most of his books. I have performed
> > personal studies of word and theme motifs, I have read scholarly
> > literature, I have even tried parodying him myself in order to gain some
> > low level mastery of his work. And yet, I feel as though I haven't
gotten
> > much further than that low level mastery; I understand his themes and
his
> > general biography, of course, but do I really understand his novels on
half
> > the level that he would expect? I didn't even receive a great grade in
the
> > course after spending hours and hours of time each week reading and
> > taking notes. I think I got too bogged down in the reading process to
even
> > write halfway decent papers. All I'm asking is: are these common
> > symptoms of the young Nabokov reader, is Nabokov possibly just way
> > beyond me, have I simplified literature too much to even understand it
> > deeper than the surface level? Is it worth continuing my dream of going
to
> > graduate school to study Nabokov and Russian or Comparative literature
> > further, or should I stop here. Of course, you don't know me personally
> > and thus cannot respond to me in particular, but I would like to know if
> > these are common feelings of the young Nabokov scholar, or if I'm just
> > out of my league, which I can appreciate if it is true. I would also
add as a
> > side note, that I am a future novelist and my struggles to keep
Nabokov's
> > influential style out of my work has allowed me to understand his
> > influence on me much better. Nevertheless, I don't think that I can
read
> > Nabokov very well. I only request that you post this message, because I
> > am looking for others who might have felt the same on the way up and
> > can offer me some advice. I intend to keep reading Nabokov for the rest
> > of my life, and hopefully I will persevere over these problems. I am
more
> > than willing to devote my future academic life to studying Nabokov, if I
can.
> > It's just that sometimes I get worried that I'm just not smart enough.
> > There are avid readers, and I am one, but then there are scholars, and I
> > don't know if I ever will be. Please advise.
> >
> > All the best,
> > Andrew L. Fippinger, Wesleyan '03
> > (a subscriber, of course, to NABOKV-L)
>
issues raised by Mr. Fippinger here.
----- Original Message -----
FROM: <afippinger@wesleyan.edu>
> > This is an email for the Nabokov-L listserv. You will chose, of
course,
>> whether or not to post it, but at the very least, I hope that you can
advise
> > me. I know that this sounds like a cosmic crisis of sorts, but it has
> > managed to blow way out of proportion in my life, and I need response.
I
> > am a senior undergraduate at Wesleyan University, a Russian major, and
> > an avid Nabokov reader and student. I have always loved reading
> > Nabokov and after eight years, I finally took a course on "Nabokov and
> > Cultural Synthesis" this past semester with Priscilla Meyer, whose work
> > on Pale Fire was ground breaking (and I say that having read hers and
> > Boyd's books along with several articles, not simply because she was my
> > professor). I found that I was very, very confused with Nabokov's
novels.
> > Lolita, which I have now read four times, in particular I found
extremely
> > difficult to understand. I don't know whether Nabokov has asked me to
> > read too much into his books, and therefore I assume that most of his
> > writing is over my head, or whether it really is all over my head. The
level
> > at which VN requires his readers to read makes me feel as though I am
> > at best an attentive reader, but nothing more. I question whether I
have
> > any future whatsoever in scholarly literary studies when books such as
> > Despair (which I have also read four times) or Sebastian Knight (three
> > times) continuously throw me for a loop and leave me feeling as though I
> > understand the novel worse than after I had read the backcover for the
first
> > time. I love Nabokov, I love his style, his mastery of the language
> > (English, of course, and I have also read Otchayanie in Russian), and
his
> > deep grasp of subtextual complications and motif placement, but I still
> > feel without reward or at least without comprhension having read and
> > "reread," as he would require, most of his books. I have performed
> > personal studies of word and theme motifs, I have read scholarly
> > literature, I have even tried parodying him myself in order to gain some
> > low level mastery of his work. And yet, I feel as though I haven't
gotten
> > much further than that low level mastery; I understand his themes and
his
> > general biography, of course, but do I really understand his novels on
half
> > the level that he would expect? I didn't even receive a great grade in
the
> > course after spending hours and hours of time each week reading and
> > taking notes. I think I got too bogged down in the reading process to
even
> > write halfway decent papers. All I'm asking is: are these common
> > symptoms of the young Nabokov reader, is Nabokov possibly just way
> > beyond me, have I simplified literature too much to even understand it
> > deeper than the surface level? Is it worth continuing my dream of going
to
> > graduate school to study Nabokov and Russian or Comparative literature
> > further, or should I stop here. Of course, you don't know me personally
> > and thus cannot respond to me in particular, but I would like to know if
> > these are common feelings of the young Nabokov scholar, or if I'm just
> > out of my league, which I can appreciate if it is true. I would also
add as a
> > side note, that I am a future novelist and my struggles to keep
Nabokov's
> > influential style out of my work has allowed me to understand his
> > influence on me much better. Nevertheless, I don't think that I can
read
> > Nabokov very well. I only request that you post this message, because I
> > am looking for others who might have felt the same on the way up and
> > can offer me some advice. I intend to keep reading Nabokov for the rest
> > of my life, and hopefully I will persevere over these problems. I am
more
> > than willing to devote my future academic life to studying Nabokov, if I
can.
> > It's just that sometimes I get worried that I'm just not smart enough.
> > There are avid readers, and I am one, but then there are scholars, and I
> > don't know if I ever will be. Please advise.
> >
> > All the best,
> > Andrew L. Fippinger, Wesleyan '03
> > (a subscriber, of course, to NABOKV-L)
>