Dear List,
Whenever I pick up any VN novel I always
find tibtis that surprise to me.
Take Pale Fire...
According to Kinbote, the Shade's must
have kept an almost regal and incongruously expensive household (a
daily maid, a cook, a handy-man ), his neighbor kept a gardener...
Also all these people must have
often stood in CK's way but I cannot recollect his complaining about
it.
Shade, at least once, and Sybil very often
took care of the driving. Hazel rode in the bus, Shade burned papers and leaves
unaided in his backyard.
Unfortunately I cannot look into these matters
with more detail but I wanted to share with you these apparent trifles.
Frank: CK's Publisher or/and Shade's
handy-man
1. "I have no reason to
suppose that anything will ever happen to prevent this initial relationship with
good old Frank, my present publisher, from remaining a permanent fixture...Frank
has acknowledged the safe return of the galleys I had been sent here and has
asked me to mention in my Preface - and this I willingly do - that I alone am
responsible for any mistakes in my commentary."
2. "I saw a world-famous old
writer, bent under the incubus of literary honors and his own prolific
mediocrity, arrive in a taxi out of the dim times of yore when Shade and he had
been joint editors of a little review. I saw Frank, the Shades' handyman, depart
in the station wagon... I saw Frank return with the New Wye antiquarian,
purblind Mr. Kaplun, and his wife, a dilapidated eagle."
Ruby, Canadian Maid and her nice,
Adèle
1. Next morning, as soon as I saw
Sybil drive away to fetch Ruby the maid who did not sleep in the
house
2- Lines 80/86 Here was my
bedroom, now reserved for guests./ Here, tucked away by the Canadian maid, I
listened to the buzz downstairs and prayed/ For everybody to be always
well,/ Uncles and aunts, the maid, her niece Adèle/ Who’d seen the
Pope, people in books, and God...
Shade household on his birthday (and at
other times) :
Besides the handy-man we find:
"Why should Sybil have to listen to
doorbells when, besides the maid and the cook, two white-coated hired boys were
around?