Where is the sea-coast of Bohemia? Was there ever an Athenian mechanical called Bottom? How old was Hamlet when he died? How many children had Lady Macbeth?
Dear Charles,
Sometimes, though probably only in the hands of a genius, such questions can lead to wonderful literary meditations and even the occasional revelation. John Sanford has written a series of books comprised of short essays that use this sort of question as a starting point. The only title that comes to me now is "Heathcliff's Toothbrush."
Highly recommended. For your amusement I include below the table of contents from one of his book (I italicized the ones I thought might appeal to Nabokov).
Come to think of it, wasn't Nabokov partial to such questions (what kind of bug exactly was Gregor Samsa?)
Carolyn
Why is Moll's younger brother older than she is? 1
Daniel Defoe, Moll Flanders (1722)
Who has Susan been talking to? 9
Henry Fielding, Tom Jones (1749)
Who betrays Elizabeth Bennet? 17
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813)
What do we know about Frances Price (the first)? 23
Jane Austen, Mansfield Park (1814)
Apple blossom in Janeagain 28
Jane Austen, Emma (1816)
How old is Frank? 34
Walter Scott, Rob Roy (1817)
Why is the monster yellow? 39
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)
Does Dickens lynch Fagin? 44
Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist (1837-8)
How do the Cratchits cook Scrooge's turkey? 49
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1843)
How many siblings has Dobbin? 55
W. M. Thackeray, Vanity Fair (1847-8)
Heathcliff's toothbrush 67
Emily Brontė, Wuthering Heights (1847)
Does Carker have false teeth? 78
Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son (1846-8)
Lucy Snowe, cement-mixer 87
Charlotte Brontė, Villette (1853)
Is Betsey Trotwood a spinster? 90
Charles Dickens,David Copperfield (1849-50)
How does Ruth end up in Wales? 102
Elizabeth Gaskell, Ruth (1853)
What is Henry Esmond's `great scheme'? 108
W. M. Thackeray, Henry Esmond (1852)
What kills Lady Dedlock? 115
Charles Dickens, Bleak House (1852-3)
What are Mr Hale's `doubts'? 128
Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South (1854-5)
Name Games 139
Where does Sydney Carton get his chloroform? 149
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859)
Why doesn't Laura tell her own story? 161
Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White (1859-60)
Why was Pip not invited to Joe's wedding? 168
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations (1860-1)
Should we change the end of the The Mill on the Floss? 175
George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss (1860)
How long is Alice in Wonderland for? 182
Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)
Does Dickens know his train signals? 185
Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend (1864-5)
Is Franklin Blake a thief and a rapist? 191
Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone (1868)
Elms, limes, or does it matter? 197
George Eliot, Middlemarch (1871-2)
How criminal is Melmotte and when is he criminalized? 202
Anthony Trollope, The Way We Live Now (1875)
Jules Verne and the English Sunday 211
Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days (1872)
What happens to Jim's family? 215
Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn (1884)
What English novel is Anna reading? 219
Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (1877)
Why are there no public conveniences in Casterbridge? 224
Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886)
Cabinets and detectives 232
A. Conan Doyle, `A Scandal in Bohemia' (1892)
Why isn't everyone a vampire? 238
Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897)
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