Subject
Re: Shakspere a playwright? (fwd)
From
Date
Body
***I am forwarding the latest batch on Shakespeare in VN's -- or even his
own -- life but from now on I reserve the right not to post messages on
the topic unless they have direct relevance for Nabokov. GD ***
From: "Peter A. Kartsev" <petr@glas.apc.org>
> ***As to the "idle" thought at the end, I can think of quite a few
> peasants -- or non-aristocratic "provincial" Jews -- born around the same
> time as Nabokov who had very considerable talent -- Platonov (b.
> 1899, like VN, and a peasant), Babel (b. 1894, a Jew). And Chekhov was a
> grandson of a serf... GD***
Obviously I am not arguing that a peasant's son cannot be born with some
form of talent or other, literary talent included. Chekhov aside, let us
suppose for the sake of argument that even Platonov or Babel were
talented writers. But could any one of the three have written the works
of Vladimir Nabokov, even not necessarily his greatest works? Do you see
Chekhov, for instance, as the author of "The Waltz Invention"? Babel as
the author of "Mary"? Platonov as the author of the poem about
Shakespeare?
Somebody will doubtless miss the point again and ask, how can anybody
have written somebody else's works? Okay, I'll put it differently. Let
us suppose that we are living five hundred years hence. If the authors'
names happen to be lost by then, for whatever reason, wouldn't we still
be able, after reading Nabokov and Platonov, to guess at the difference
in their backgrounds?
I am not trying to prove anything by this, by the way. But I am quite
certain that social disadvantage imposes certain limitations on the
writer's imagination. Curiously, this is evident now more than ever:
women writers concern themselves with feminist issues, black writers
relive black experience and gay writers create gay literature. While
this goes on, they will keep feeling disadvantaged and their literature
will remain mediocre. But I am not only talking of genre limitations,
there are stylistic ones, too. A fascinating subject for study, I think,
but maybe not in our politically correct times.
Peter.
own -- life but from now on I reserve the right not to post messages on
the topic unless they have direct relevance for Nabokov. GD ***
From: "Peter A. Kartsev" <petr@glas.apc.org>
> ***As to the "idle" thought at the end, I can think of quite a few
> peasants -- or non-aristocratic "provincial" Jews -- born around the same
> time as Nabokov who had very considerable talent -- Platonov (b.
> 1899, like VN, and a peasant), Babel (b. 1894, a Jew). And Chekhov was a
> grandson of a serf... GD***
Obviously I am not arguing that a peasant's son cannot be born with some
form of talent or other, literary talent included. Chekhov aside, let us
suppose for the sake of argument that even Platonov or Babel were
talented writers. But could any one of the three have written the works
of Vladimir Nabokov, even not necessarily his greatest works? Do you see
Chekhov, for instance, as the author of "The Waltz Invention"? Babel as
the author of "Mary"? Platonov as the author of the poem about
Shakespeare?
Somebody will doubtless miss the point again and ask, how can anybody
have written somebody else's works? Okay, I'll put it differently. Let
us suppose that we are living five hundred years hence. If the authors'
names happen to be lost by then, for whatever reason, wouldn't we still
be able, after reading Nabokov and Platonov, to guess at the difference
in their backgrounds?
I am not trying to prove anything by this, by the way. But I am quite
certain that social disadvantage imposes certain limitations on the
writer's imagination. Curiously, this is evident now more than ever:
women writers concern themselves with feminist issues, black writers
relive black experience and gay writers create gay literature. While
this goes on, they will keep feeling disadvantaged and their literature
will remain mediocre. But I am not only talking of genre limitations,
there are stylistic ones, too. A fascinating subject for study, I think,
but maybe not in our politically correct times.
Peter.