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Re: Nabokov and Pope (fwd)
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From: mary krimmel <mkrimmel@sciti.com>
Thanks, Kiran!
I never knew Pope beyond Essay on Man, but it's always been clear (hasn't
it?) that John Shade knew him well.
You and Pope even give us a pale sun here. Your excerpt from The Dunciad
doesn't seem far-fetched to me. It's likely of special interest to the
Shade-wrote-the-notes and Kinbote-wrote-the-poem arguments. I don't know
these, was aghast at hearing about them, now intend to at least look at Boyd.
Mary Krimmel
>
From: Kiran Krishna <kiran@Physics.usyd.edu.au>
>On reading Boyd's marvellous book, here are some additional thoughts, I
>have had.
>
>Zembla also occurs in Pope's The Temple of Fame in these lines. I base my
>case on these lines:
>
> The Rock's high Summit, in the Temple's Shade,
> Nor Heat could melt, nor beating storm invade.
> There names inscrib'd unnumber'd Ages past
> From Time's first Birth, with Time it self shall last;
> These ever new, nor subject to Decays,
> So Zembla's Rocks (the beauteous Work of Frost)
> Rise white in Air, and glitter o'er the Coast;
> Pale Suns, unfelt, at distances roll away,
> And on th' impassive Ice the Lightnings play:
...
>
> I have always maintained that there is at least some connection
>between Pope's greatest poem and Pale Fire. Here are a few supporting
>lines from The Dunciad(I am probably stretching it):
>
> Here to her Chosen all her works she shews;
> Prose swell'd to verse, verse loit'ring into prose:
> How random thoughts now meaning chance to find,
> Now leave all memory of sense behind:
> How Prologues into Prefaces decay,
> And these to Notes are fritter'd quite away:
> How Index-learning turns no student pale,
> Yet holds the eel of science by the tail:
...
Thanks, Kiran!
I never knew Pope beyond Essay on Man, but it's always been clear (hasn't
it?) that John Shade knew him well.
You and Pope even give us a pale sun here. Your excerpt from The Dunciad
doesn't seem far-fetched to me. It's likely of special interest to the
Shade-wrote-the-notes and Kinbote-wrote-the-poem arguments. I don't know
these, was aghast at hearing about them, now intend to at least look at Boyd.
Mary Krimmel
>
From: Kiran Krishna <kiran@Physics.usyd.edu.au>
>On reading Boyd's marvellous book, here are some additional thoughts, I
>have had.
>
>Zembla also occurs in Pope's The Temple of Fame in these lines. I base my
>case on these lines:
>
> The Rock's high Summit, in the Temple's Shade,
> Nor Heat could melt, nor beating storm invade.
> There names inscrib'd unnumber'd Ages past
> From Time's first Birth, with Time it self shall last;
> These ever new, nor subject to Decays,
> So Zembla's Rocks (the beauteous Work of Frost)
> Rise white in Air, and glitter o'er the Coast;
> Pale Suns, unfelt, at distances roll away,
> And on th' impassive Ice the Lightnings play:
...
>
> I have always maintained that there is at least some connection
>between Pope's greatest poem and Pale Fire. Here are a few supporting
>lines from The Dunciad(I am probably stretching it):
>
> Here to her Chosen all her works she shews;
> Prose swell'd to verse, verse loit'ring into prose:
> How random thoughts now meaning chance to find,
> Now leave all memory of sense behind:
> How Prologues into Prefaces decay,
> And these to Notes are fritter'd quite away:
> How Index-learning turns no student pale,
> Yet holds the eel of science by the tail:
...