Content-Type: message/rfc822; name="Fwd_ Re_ VAn & ADA_ true siblings_.eml" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="Fwd_ Re_ VAn & ADA_ true siblings_.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 4314D6CD010E0785 for cangrande@bluewin.ch; Mon, 19 Sep 2005 14:57:54 +0000 Received: from exchsrv02.starcapital.net (65.211.23.242) by mx21.bluewin.ch (Bluewin 7.2.063) id 42EA395102771159 for cangrande@bluewin.ch; Mon, 19 Sep 2005 14:57:54 +0000 content-class: urn:content-classes:message Subject: Fwd: Re: VAn & ADA: true siblings? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C5BD2A.FB7CF2C7" Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 11:01:15 -0400 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft Exchange V6.0.6603.0 Message-ID: <7C47B2717D28F64FAA0B94B7B6508E9461C2FF@exchsrv02.starcapital.net> X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: Thread-Topic: Fwd: Re: VAn & ADA: true siblings? Thread-Index: AcW804VkR1Q+3NBuQmSRk3b5MmoiUgAVtunA X-Priority: 1 Priority: Urgent Importance: high From: "Sandy Klein" To: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C5BD2A.FB7CF2C7 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 12:31 AM To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU Subject: Fwd: Re: VAn & ADA: true siblings? Dear Penny McCarthy, Like real people, literary characters can have only one mother and one (biological) father. Van and Ada make no exception. If you read ADA carefully, you will see that Van is the son of Demon (and not, say, d'Onsky) and Marina and that Ada is the daughter of the same parents. However, it is true that Nabokov makes us question the parentage of the two main characters and wonder if, for instance, G. A. Vronsky is Ada's father. At a certain point we learn that Price, a footman at Ardis, was dubbed by Marina and Vronsky, during their brief romance in 1871, "Grib" (1.38). This should make us think of Griboedov (who was mentioned in the previous chapter: 1.37), in whose play Gore ot uma ("Woe from the Wit" or, as Marina puts it, "How stupid to be so clever") Famusov calculates the pregnancy of a lady friend (whom he apparently has himself impregnated). Famusov's words are jokingly quoted during the family dinner in 1.38 by Demon who tries to establish the exact date of Ada's birthday: "It's next Saturday, po razschyotu po moemu (by my reckoning), isn't it?" That Demon believes he, and not anybody else, is Ada's father and that he is making a deliberate playful allusion to Griboedov is confirmed by Demon's words that he drops still a litttle later in the conversation: "You know quite well," said Marina, "that your father disapproves of your smoking at table." "Oh, it's all right," murmured Demon. "I had Dan in view," explained Marina heavily. "He's very prissy on that score." "Well, and I'm not," answered Demon. Ada and Van couldn't help laughing [they had discovered four years ago whose children they actually are]. All that was banter - not of a high order, but still banter. It seems that not only Demon, but also Marina believes that Demon (and not Vronsky) is Ada's father. But, perhaps, she is "vrong" (there is no 'double u' sound in Marina's English)? It is tantalizingly unclear why Marina & Vronsky have dubbed Price "Grib" (could possibly the origin of that mysterious nickname have anything to do with Griboedov and his play - may be even with Marina's old attempt to calculate her pregnancy by Vronsky?), and that makes the situation a little ambiguous. Vronsky's phrase "Prichyom tut polozhenie ('situation-shituation')?" (1.32) that hints at the Russian way of speaking about pregnancy and creates a double-entendre here (note, by the way, that the phrase "interesnoe polozhenie" is used in ADA, 1.2, to describe Marina's pregnancy - with Ada) is also most intriguing. (You probably mention some of these facts, or even all of them, in your paper, which I haven't read because of its inaccessibility to me.) Still, I think that Ada is Demon's daughter - because she has inherited some of his little mannerisms (for example, wagging her left fore-finger three times at the height of the temple). But then, again, genes can jump like chess knights (as Marina suggests: 1.37). So, theoretically, Ada could have inherited this habit to wag her left fore-finger not from Demon, but - through Marina (who is Demon's first cousin, or perhaps even his sister) - from Demon's aunt Kitty. Perhaps, the strongest evidence that Ada is Demon's daughter is, after all, the following passage: "It almost awed one to see the pleasure with which she and Demon distorted their shiny-lipped mouths in exactly the same way to introduce orally from some heavenly hight the voluptious ally of the prim lily of the valley, holding the shaft with an identical bunching of the fingers, not unlike the reformed 'sign of the cross' for protesting against which (a ridicoulous little schism measuring an inch or so from thumb to index) so many Russians had been burnt by other Russians only two centuries earlier on the banks of the Great Lake of Slaves." Alexey Sklyarenko ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donald B. Johnson" To: Sent: Sunday, September 18, 2005 8:05 PM Subject: VAn & ADA: true siblings? > ----- Forwarded message from penmc@BTCONNECT.COM ----- > Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2005 08:15:32 -0700 > From: Penny McCarthy > Reply-To: Penny McCarthy > Subject: true siblings? > To: > > Dear List, > Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello raises an interesting question about Ada > and Van's relatedness. In my MLR 2004 (vol. 99.1) article 'Nabokov's > Ada and Sidney's Arcadia'- noted with approval by Barbara Wyllie and > Donald Johnson on 11 Feb. 2005, for which many thanks - I suggested > that early in the novel Ada (p. 28 of the Penguin) Nabokov obfuscates Van's parentage. > G.A. Vronsky had an affair with Marina just before Demon became her lover. > Demon threw her out for some unexplained misdemeanour - had he > discovered she was pregnant by Vronsky? As the two G.A.'s (G.A. > Vronsky and Grigoriy > Akimovich) merge into each other, so the Erminin family and the Aqua > Veen branch of the Veens merge. So the harping on triplets from this > very point in the story becomes suspect: perhaps Van, Greg and Grace > are triplet children of Aqua. It is not that we are not meant to read > the whole novel as a story of sibling incest; rather that we are > reading a 'quantum physics' sort of novel, in which atoms (people) can > pass through two incompatible histories simultaneously. Van and Ada > are and are not true siblings. > Feed-back on the notion of Philip Sidney as Nabokov's inspiration for > his life and work would be welcome. Surely there is more to add to my > findings. Penny McC. > > ----- End forwarded message ----- > ----- End forwarded message ----- ------_=_NextPart_001_01C5BD2A.FB7CF2C7 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 12:31 = AM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Fwd: Re: VAn &=20 ADA: true siblings?

Dear Penny McCarthy,

Like real people, = literary characters can have only one mother and one (biological) = father. Van=20 and Ada make no exception. If you read ADA carefully, you will see that = Van is=20 the son of Demon (and not, say, d'Onsky) and Marina and that Ada is the = daughter=20 of the same parents. However, it is true that Nabokov makes us question = the=20 parentage of the two main characters and wonder if, for instance, G. A. = Vronsky=20 is Ada's father. At a certain point we learn that Price, a footman at = Ardis, was=20 dubbed by Marina and Vronsky, during their brief romance in 1871, "Grib" = (1.38).=20 This should make us think of Griboedov (who was mentioned in the = previous=20 chapter: 1.37), in whose play Gore ot uma ("Woe from the Wit" or, as = Marina puts=20 it, "How stupid to be so clever") Famusov calculates the pregnancy of a = lady=20 friend (whom he apparently has himself impregnated). Famusov's words are = jokingly quoted during the family dinner in 1.38 by Demon who tries to = establish=20 the exact date of Ada's birthday: "It's next Saturday, po razschyotu po = moemu=20 (by my reckoning), isn't it?" That Demon believes he, and not anybody = else, is=20 Ada's father and that he is making a deliberate playful allusion to = Griboedov is=20 confirmed by Demon's words that he drops still a litttle later in the=20 conversation:

"You know quite well," said Marina, "that your = father=20 disapproves of your smoking at table."
"Oh, it's all right," murmured = Demon.
"I had Dan in view," explained Marina heavily. "He's very = prissy on=20 that score."
"Well, and I'm not," answered Demon.
Ada and Van = couldn't=20 help laughing [they had discovered four years ago whose children they = actually=20 are]. All that was banter - not of a high order, but still = banter.

It=20 seems that not only Demon, but also Marina believes that Demon (and not = Vronsky)=20 is Ada's father. But, perhaps, she is "vrong" (there is no 'double u' = sound in=20 Marina's English)? It is tantalizingly unclear why Marina & Vronsky = have=20 dubbed Price "Grib" (could possibly the origin of that mysterious = nickname have=20 anything to do with Griboedov and his play - may be even with Marina's = old=20 attempt to calculate her pregnancy by Vronsky?), and that makes the = situation a=20 little ambiguous. Vronsky's phrase "Prichyom tut polozhenie=20 ('situation-shituation')?" (1.32) that hints at the Russian way of = speaking=20 about pregnancy and creates a double-entendre here (note, by the way, = that the=20 phrase "interesnoe polozhenie" is used in ADA, 1.2, to describe Marina's = pregnancy - with Ada) is also most intriguing. (You probably mention = some of=20 these facts, or even all of them, in your paper, which I haven't read = because of=20 its inaccessibility to me.) Still, I think that Ada is Demon's daughter = -=20 because she has inherited some of his little mannerisms (for example, = wagging=20 her left fore-finger three times at the height of the temple). But then, = again,=20 genes can jump like chess knights (as Marina suggests: 1.37). So, = theoretically,=20 Ada could have inherited this habit to wag her left fore-finger not from = Demon,=20 but - through Marina (who is Demon's first cousin, or perhaps even his = sister) -=20 from Demon's aunt Kitty. Perhaps, the strongest evidence that Ada is = Demon's=20 daughter is, after all, the following passage:

"It almost awed = one to see=20 the pleasure with which she and Demon distorted their shiny-lipped = mouths in=20 exactly the same way to introduce orally from some heavenly hight the = voluptious=20 ally of the prim lily of the valley, holding the shaft with an identical = bunching of the fingers, not unlike the reformed 'sign of the cross' for = protesting against which (a ridicoulous little schism measuring an inch = or so=20 from thumb to index) so many Russians had been burnt by other Russians = only two=20 centuries earlier on the banks of the Great Lake of = Slaves."

Alexey=20 Sklyarenko

----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald = B.=20 Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To:=20 <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, September 18, 2005 = 8:05=20 PM
Subject: VAn & ADA: true siblings?


> ----- = Forwarded=20 message from penmc@BTCONNECT.COM -----
>     = Date:=20 Sun, 18 Sep 2005 08:15:32 -0700
>     From: = Penny=20 McCarthy <penmc@BTCONNECT.COM>
> Reply-To: Penny McCarthy=20 <penmc@BTCONNECT.COM>
>  Subject: true=20 siblings?
>       = To:
>
> Dear=20 List,
> Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello raises an interesting question = about=20 Ada
> and Van's relatedness. In my MLR 2004 (vol. 99.1) article=20 'Nabokov's
> Ada and Sidney's Arcadia'- noted with approval by = Barbara=20 Wyllie and
> Donald Johnson on 11 Feb. 2005, for which many thanks = - I=20 suggested
> that early in the novel Ada (p. 28 of the Penguin) = Nabokov=20 obfuscates Van's parentage.
> G.A. Vronsky had an affair with = Marina just=20 before Demon became her lover.
> Demon threw her out for some = unexplained=20 misdemeanour - had he
> discovered she was pregnant by Vronsky? As = the two=20 G.A.'s (G.A.
> Vronsky and Grigoriy
> Akimovich) merge into = each=20 other, so the Erminin family and the Aqua
> Veen branch of the = Veens=20 merge. So the harping on triplets from this
> very point in the = story=20 becomes suspect: perhaps Van, Greg and Grace
> are triplet = children of=20 Aqua. It is not that we are not meant to read
> the whole novel as = a story=20 of sibling incest; rather that we are
> reading a 'quantum = physics' sort=20 of novel, in which atoms (people) can
> pass through two = incompatible=20 histories simultaneously. Van and Ada
> are and are not true=20 siblings.
> Feed-back on the notion of Philip Sidney as Nabokov's=20 inspiration for
> his life and work would be welcome. Surely there = is more=20 to add to my
> findings. Penny McC.
>
> ----- End = forwarded=20 message -----
>

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

------_=_NextPart_001_01C5BD2A.FB7CF2C7--