GS wrote on my "new query
to Lines: 992-994 Where is Shade writing and looking from? " and said that "Shade is sitting in veranda of
his house. We should take Kinbote’s word on that in commentary to line 991. That
is same spot where Shade composed “The Nature of Electricity” and which he
described in that little poem... "
George,
I haven't yet followed Don's advice concerning JF's
Timeline to Pale Fire, but I'll try to make my initial doubts more clear
:
What I meant about Shade's whereabouts is that we
only have CK's words that he was sitting (and, perhaps, writing or
drinking) in the porch.
You said we could take Kinbote's word on that:
why?
Shade himself described how, on the late evening of
July 21st, he had placed a book in a shelf, yawned while
watching Dr. Sutton's windows glow ( no lights on - in another verse they
were, and he saw them close to the "Great Bear" constellation and
mentioned cricket sounds during Fall). He then saw Sybil's shadow
close to the "phantom swing" at the shagbark tree and heard Balthasar trundling
a barrow.
He could have been writing from his study or
bedroom, from where he first mused about slain waxwings and created a
Winter scene with "chair and bed" standing in the lawn.
In his poem he recreates all the seasons ( I
haven't yet checked Spring): Fall for the burning of leaves
- rejected cards must have required a different bonfire. Summer.
Winter...
While he is writing his other verses
in "Pale Fire", but it happens in the present, he hears a cicada
sing. Probably not the same that hatched from an "emerald case", but we
might have hints to confirm midsummer singing species. I couldn't find the
data for that, not sufficient specialized bibliography and confusing entries in
the www.
Thank you for the message and the thrilling 666-999
links.
Jansy