On Dec 6, 2007, at 7:24 AM, Matthew Roth wrote:

Tiffany DeRewal (and I think Carolyn as well?) asserts that Shade's "heart attack" is the crisis point where Shade's personality finally begins to bifurcate.

Actually the original bifurcation, or the "birth" of Charles Kinbote, takes place on Shade's birthday, but which one, I forget. I have supposed it to be the result of John Shade's sexual abuse at the forcible hand of Aunt Maud by means of that "wench."

I think that Charles Kinbote had been having lots of homosexual fantasy fun in homosexual fantasy Zembla for all those years only somewhat interrupted by his and John's marriage to Sybil/Disa. His existence only begins to intrude into Shade's conscious mind after Shade suffers a stroke. Charles's escape from Zembla is actually the depiction of a cerebral stroke with its stutterings, flashings and blocked passes. The damage has been done to the primary personality, and as Shade convalesces, Charles begins his intrusion.

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