Subject
Re: Thinking of LOLITA in Ashland, Ore (fwd)
From
Date
Body
***It is striking, indeed, that VN is using here the absolute translation
of the Russian phrase "teriat' vremia," as opposed to the properly English
"wasting time." A rather common slip among Russian English-speakers. He
obviously had to know the difference by then, unless we can make a case
that his use of the phrase was stubbornly consistent (as the example from
LATH may signify). This explanation does not sit well with me,
however, because there were, after all, proofreaders and editors, so
his reasons must have been of a more intentionally artistic nature. GD***
From: Jane Morrison <JaneMorrison@compuserve.com>
Perhaps Nabokov did not perceive "losing my time" as being non-English. One
certainly hears it a lot among French speakers who are fluent in English.
His Nabokovish narrator uses the same phrase in "Look at the Harlequins!",
speaking of Iris's Russian lessons: "On my pointing out to Iris that she
was losing her time at this hit-and-miss task, she cast around for some
other alchemic method which might enable her to read everything I wrote."
Paul Montgomery
Lausanne, Switzerland
of the Russian phrase "teriat' vremia," as opposed to the properly English
"wasting time." A rather common slip among Russian English-speakers. He
obviously had to know the difference by then, unless we can make a case
that his use of the phrase was stubbornly consistent (as the example from
LATH may signify). This explanation does not sit well with me,
however, because there were, after all, proofreaders and editors, so
his reasons must have been of a more intentionally artistic nature. GD***
From: Jane Morrison <JaneMorrison@compuserve.com>
Perhaps Nabokov did not perceive "losing my time" as being non-English. One
certainly hears it a lot among French speakers who are fluent in English.
His Nabokovish narrator uses the same phrase in "Look at the Harlequins!",
speaking of Iris's Russian lessons: "On my pointing out to Iris that she
was losing her time at this hit-and-miss task, she cast around for some
other alchemic method which might enable her to read everything I wrote."
Paul Montgomery
Lausanne, Switzerland