Content-Type: message/rfc822; name="Re_ Fwd_ Re_ Nabokovian blunders.eml" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="Re_ Fwd_ Re_ Nabokovian blunders.eml" X-Account-Key: account3 Return-Path: Received: from mx21.bluewin.ch (195.186.18.37) by mssbzhb-int.msg.bluewin.ch (Bluewin 7.0.045) id 4314D6CD010E0794 for cangrande@bluewin.ch; Mon, 19 Sep 2005 14:57:55 +0000 Received: from exchsrv02.starcapital.net (65.211.23.242) by mx21.bluewin.ch (Bluewin 7.2.063) id 42EA39510277115A for cangrande@bluewin.ch; Mon, 19 Sep 2005 14:57:55 +0000 content-class: urn:content-classes:message Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Nabokovian blunders MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C5BD2A.FBD9EE56" Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 11:01:16 -0400 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft Exchange V6.0.6603.0 Message-ID: <7C47B2717D28F64FAA0B94B7B6508E9461C300@exchsrv02.starcapital.net> X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: Thread-Topic: Re: Fwd: Re: Nabokovian blunders Thread-Index: AcW807O7JSa11whdTTyAvLHxjRHn0QAVoLkg X-Priority: 1 Priority: Urgent Importance: high From: "Sandy Klein" To: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C5BD2A.FBD9EE56 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable -----Original Message----- From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum [mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU] On Behalf Of Donald B. Johnson Sent: Monday, September 19, 2005 12:32 AM To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Nabokovian blunders ----- Forwarded message from as-brown@comcast.net ----- Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2005 21:11:17 -0400 From: Andrew Brown Reply-To: Andrew Brown Subject: Re: Re: Fwd: Re: Nabokovian blunders To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum Do you believe, Jo, that Nabokov was absolutely serious in these remarks, and did not intend them as satirical exaggerations of the TYPE of comments a writer of genius might expect from publishers of purely mercenary intent? If so, what do you make of VN's comment that his preferred choice of reading material was strictly homosexual? Are you able to suppose that Nabokov meant he generally preferred the writing of men over the writing of women? Or did it seem to you that VN, with unsmiling dedication, restricted his pleasure reading to, say, Isherwood, Burroughs, Bowles, Capote, Auden and others of like persuasion, perhaps in order to tone up his "gender bending" skills? I'm curious. If you have time would you be willing to bring to our attention examples of humorous comment, irony, or exaggeration in VN's work? Or do you think these are impossible to quote because of their straight non-existence? Are you aware that some writers, in certain moods, might indulge the impulse to create suppositious examples with the optimistic presumption that their reader has sufficient penetration to understand their references? Or do you think, as Andrew Field evidently did, that when Nabokov made reference to a chimp making a drawing of its prison bars, that this was granite-like fact, and that the newspaper article mentioned really did exist beyond VN's imagination. Are you convinced, without qualification, with a staunch and leaden pedantry, that every statement a writer makes in conversation or print is to be interpreted with unremitting, fundamentalist literality? And any statement that cannot be so interpreted is a black and hellish LIE? I'm curious. As Dickens' Rosa Dartle says, I simply want to know. Andrew Brown ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donald B. Johnson" To: Sent: Saturday, September 17, 2005 10:49 PM Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Nabokovian blunders > Re Nabokovian 'blunders' > > Dear Anthony > > In her award-winning biography of Vera Nabokov Stacy Schiff discussed > several uneasy questions relating to Nabokov's account of his early > interactions with the US publishers Viking, Simon and Schuster, New > Directions, Farrar and Straus and Doubleday. Regarding the 'girl/boy' > exchange alluded to by Nabokov in his famous postscript, Schiff concluded: > > "None of them (i.e. US publishers) appears in any shape or form to > have suggested the author transform his twelve-year-old into a boy, or > Humbert into a farmer, as Nabokov later claimed." (p. 206) > > This ruse was only one of several 'untruths' propagated by Nabokov in > "On a > Book Entitled Lolita." Centerwall has paid attention to several other > misleading statements made by VN in his postscript. I have contributed more > comments and observations on this matter in SNLR. > > Another dimension to VN's 'gender-bending' strategy involved VN > himself dressing up in anagram guise as Vivian Darkbloom, the silent > mistress of Lolita's early abuser, Clare Quilty. The autobiographical > reverberations attached to this particular cryptic crossword style > clue are, I would suggest, highly significant. > > Jo Morgan > Sydney > > ----- End forwarded message ----- ----- End forwarded message ----- ------_=_NextPart_001_01C5BD2A.FBD9EE56 Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

-----Original Message-----
From: Vladimir Nabokov = Forum [mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.= EDU]=20 On Behalf Of Donald B. Johnson
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2005 12:32 = AM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Nabokovian = blunders

----- Forwarded message from as-brown@comcast.net=20 -----
    Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2005 21:11:17=20 -0400
    From: Andrew Brown=20 <as-brown@comcast.net>
Reply-To: Andrew Brown=20 <as-brown@comcast.net>
 Subject: = Re:     =20 Re: Fwd: Re: Nabokovian blunders
      To: = Vladimir=20 Nabokov Forum


Do you believe, Jo, that Nabokov = was=20 absolutely serious in these remarks, and did not intend them as = satirical=20 exaggerations of the TYPE of comments a writer of genius might expect = from=20 publishers of purely mercenary intent?

If so, what do you make of = VN's=20 comment that his preferred choice of reading material was strictly=20 homosexual?  Are you able to suppose that Nabokov meant he = generally=20 preferred the writing of men over the writing of women?
Or did it = seem to you=20 that VN, with unsmiling dedication, restricted his pleasure reading to, = say,=20 Isherwood, Burroughs, Bowles, Capote, Auden and others of like = persuasion,=20 perhaps in order to tone up his "gender bending" skills?

I'm=20 curious.  If you have time would you be willing to bring to our = attention=20 examples of humorous comment, irony, or exaggeration in VN's work?
Or = do you=20 think these are impossible to quote because of their straight = non-existence? Are=20 you aware that some writers, in certain moods, might indulge the impulse = to=20 create suppositious examples with the optimistic presumption that their = reader=20 has sufficient penetration to understand their references?

Or do = you=20 think, as Andrew Field evidently did, that when Nabokov made reference = to a=20 chimp making a drawing of its prison bars, that this was granite-like = fact, and=20 that the newspaper article mentioned really did exist beyond VN's=20 imagination.

Are you convinced, without qualification, with a = staunch and=20 leaden pedantry, that every statement a writer makes in conversation or = print is=20 to be interpreted with unremitting, fundamentalist literality? And any = statement=20 that cannot be so interpreted is a black and hellish LIE?  I'm = curious. As=20 Dickens' Rosa Dartle says, I simply want to know.

Andrew=20 Brown




----- Original Message -----
From: = "Donald B.=20 Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To:=20 <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, September 17, 2005 = 10:49=20 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Nabokovian blunders


> Re = Nabokovian=20 'blunders'
>
> Dear Anthony
>
> In her = award-winning=20 biography of Vera Nabokov Stacy Schiff discussed
> several uneasy=20 questions relating to Nabokov's account of his early
> = interactions with=20 the US publishers Viking, Simon and Schuster, New
> Directions, = Farrar and=20 Straus and Doubleday. Regarding the 'girl/boy'
> exchange alluded = to by=20 Nabokov in his famous postscript, Schiff concluded:
>
> = "None of=20 them (i.e. US publishers) appears in any shape or form to
> have = suggested=20 the author transform his twelve-year-old into a boy, or
> Humbert = into a=20 farmer, as Nabokov later claimed." (p. 206)
>
> This ruse = was only=20 one of several 'untruths' propagated by Nabokov in
> = "On
a
> Book=20 Entitled Lolita." Centerwall has paid attention to several other
> = misleading statements made by VN in his postscript. I have=20 contributed
more
> comments and observations on this matter in=20 SNLR.
>
> Another dimension to VN's 'gender-bending' = strategy=20 involved VN
> himself dressing up in anagram guise as Vivian = Darkbloom,=20 the silent
> mistress of Lolita's early abuser, Clare Quilty. The=20 autobiographical
> reverberations attached to this particular = cryptic=20 crossword style
> clue are, I would suggest, highly=20 significant.
>
> Jo Morgan
> Sydney
>
> = ----- End=20 forwarded message -----

----- End forwarded message=20 -----

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