Content-Type: message/rfc822 Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:56:55 -0500 From: "frances assa" To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" Subject: RE: [NABOKV-L] [NABOKOV-L] [DARWINIAN MUSINGS] Gradus, Sybil and superior victims... Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="=__Part567E0FC7.1__=" --=__Part567E0FC7.1__= Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="=__Part567E0FC7.2__=" --=__Part567E0FC7.2__= Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I imagine there has been research comparing Pale Fire with it's venerated = poet John Shade and its would-be poet Charles Kinbote to Dante's Devine = Comedy, which also has a venerated poet, Vergil, who is a shade, leading a = lesser poet, Dante himself. Are there sufficient connections between = the works to justify my belief that there may be an allusion here? If = Nabokov had the Devine Comedy somewhere in mind when he constructed the = relationship between Shade and Kinbote, what would have been his purpose = in such an allusion? =20 Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:56:55 -0200From: jansy@AETERN.USSubject: = [NABOKV-L] [NABOKOV-L] [DARWINIAN MUSINGS] Gradus, Sybil and superior = victims...To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU Yesterday I quoted some lines (949-952):written by Shade and realized they = are among my favourite ones in PF ( I'm usually not very fond of Shade...) = =20 And all the time, and = all the time, my love, You too are there, = beneath the word, above The syllable, to = underscore and stress The vital rhythm.=20 Then I noticed that these verses had been parodied, or their idea = perversely stolen and inverted by C.Kinbote who, in his note to line 17, = wrote: "We shall accompany Gradus in constant thought[...], through the = entire length of the poem, following the road of its rhythm, riding past = in a rhyme, skidding around the corner of a run-on, breathing with the = caesura [...] hiding between two words [...] steadily marching nearer in = iambic motion[...], boarding a new train of thought[...] while Shade blots = out a word, and falling asleep as the poet lays down his pen for the night = [...] Kinbote also uses the same image in note 131 (on the return of a = waxwing slain): "The force propelling him is the magic action of Shade=92s = poem itself, the very mechanism and sweep of verse, the powerful iambic = motor. Never before has the inexorable advance of fate received such a = sensuous form..." Shade's love ( for Sybil?) recognizes in her physical and mental presence = a signal of a "vital rythm". Kinbote's jealousy towards Sybil, and Shade, = propels him along with Gradus' iambic motor to entrap Shade. Words of love = and life, words of hate and death... =20 This led me next to Kinbote's commentary on line 596 (he'd indicated in = the corpus of his note 17): "We all know those dreams in which something = Stygian soaks through and Lethe leaks in the dreary terms of defective = plumbing [...] I hope the reader will feel something of the chill that ran = down my long and supple spine when I discovered this variant:=20 Should the dead murderer try to embrace His outraged victim whom he now must face? Do objects have a soul? Or perish must Alike great temples and Tanagra dust? His incoming note (to lines 597-608) ends with: Let me close this = important note with a rather anti-Darwinian aphorism: The one who kills is = always his victim=92s inferior.=20 =20 And here are my own darwinian musings on the "survival of the fittest":=20 I'd been watching Animal Planet where a tiny spider weaves the web which = she carries along, instead of spreading it out like a clothes-line. When = it spots its prey, it jumps onto it but only after it entraps it with the = portable hunting-net.=20 At first I wondered why did it "bother" to weave a net, if it had to = directly catch its prey like a tiger jumping on an elephant. But I soon = discovered that, since this spider is so very tiny, it would be crushed = should it not first immobilize the enemy, just like certain snakes and = toads eject their venom before they are able to engulf their food.=20 Spiders, snakes and toads are "sly cowards"! Until then I'd only imagined = mimetism in nature as an elegant defensive device (insects like dry twigs, = butterflies like leaves or with enormous owlish eyes...) - as if Nature = only cheated in self-defence. Hunting down for food must follow the rules = of "fair-play" in a body-to-body combat among equals, or so I thought! But = actually weak deceivers, in nature as well as in life, are the fittest...Du= st, even Tanagra's, is soft and small but, in the end, it shall await us = all? In VN's lines I can still feel the shock running down my long and not = so supple spine related to cowardice and VN's father's assassination.=20 Search the archive Contact the Editors Visit "Nabokov Online Journal" Visit Zembla View Nabokv-L Policies Manage subscription options All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by both = co-editors.=20 _________________________________________________________________ See how Windows=AE connects the people, information, and fun that are part = of your life http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/119463819/direct/01/ Search archive with Google: http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=3Dsite:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=3Den Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/ Search archive with Google: http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=3Dsite:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=3Den Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/ --=__Part567E0FC7.2__= Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Description: HTML I imagine there has been research comparing Pale Fire with it's venerated = poet John Shade and its would-be poet Charles Kinbote to Dante's Devine = Comedy, which also has a venerated poet, Vergil, who is a shade, = leading a lesser poet, Dante himself.    Are there = sufficient connections between the works to justify my belief that there = may be an allusion here?  If Nabokov had the Devine Comedy somewhere = in mind when he constructed the relationship between Shade and Kinbote, = what would have been his purpose in such an allusion?

 




Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:56:55 -0200
From: jansy@AETERN.US
Subject: = [NABOKV-L] [NABOKOV-L] [DARWINIAN MUSINGS] Gradus, Sybil and superior = victims...
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU

Yesterday I = quoted some lines (949-952):written by Shade = and realized they are among my favourite ones in PF ( I'm usually not = very fond of Shade...)  

        =                &n= bsp;            = ;              And all the = time, and all the time, my love,

   =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;         = You too are there, beneath the word, above

 &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;          The syllable, to underscore and stress

   =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;         The vital = rhythm.

Then I noticed = that these verses had been parodied, or their idea perversely stolen = and inverted by C.Kinbote who, in his note to line 17, wrote: "We shall accompany Gradus in constant thought[...], = through the entire length of the poem, following the road of its rhythm, = riding past in a rhyme, skidding around the corner of a run-on, breathing = with the caesura [...] hiding between two words [...] steadily marching = nearer in iambic motion[...], boarding a new train of thought[...] while = Shade blots out a word, and falling asleep as the poet lays down his pen = for the night [...] Kinbote also uses the same image in note 131 = (on the return of a waxwing slain): "The = force propelling him is the magic action of Shade=92s poem itself, the = very mechanism and sweep of verse, the powerful iambic motor. Never before = has the inexorable advance of fate received such a sensuous form..."=

Shade's love = ( for Sybil?) recognizes in her physical and mental presence a = signal of a "vital rythm". Kinbote's jealousy towards Sybil, and = Shade, propels him along with Gradus' iambic motor to entrap Shade. Words = of love and life, words of hate and death...

=  

This led me = next to Kinbote's commentary on line 596 (he'd indicated in the = corpus of his note 17): "We= all know those dreams in which something Stygian soaks through and Lethe = leaks in the dreary terms of defective plumbing [...] I hope the reader = will feel something of the chill that ran down my long and supple spine = when I discovered this variant: 

Should the dead murderer = try to embrace

His outraged victim whom = he now must face?

Do objects have a soul? Or = perish must

Alike great temples and = Tanagra dust?

 His incoming = note (to lines 597-608) ends with: Let me close this important note with a = rather anti-Darwinian aphorism: The one who kills is always his = victim=92s inferior.

 

And here are my = own darwinian musings on the "survival of the fittest": =

I'd been = watching Animal Planet where a tiny spider weaves the web which she = carries along, instead of spreading it out like a clothes-line. When = it spots its prey, it jumps onto it but only after it = entraps it with the portable hunting-net.

At first I = wondered why did it "bother" to weave a net, if it had to directly = catch its prey like a tiger jumping on an elephant. But I soon = discovered that, since this spider is so very tiny, it would be = crushed should it not first immobilize the enemy, just like certain = snakes and toads eject their venom before they are able to engulf thei= r food. 

Spiders, snakes = and toads are "sly cowards"! Until then I'd only imagined mimetism in = nature as an elegant defensive device (insects like dry twigs, = butterflies like leaves or with enormous owlish eyes...) - as if Nature = only cheated in self-defence. Hunting down for food must follow = the rules of "fair-play" in a body-to-body combat among equals, = or so I thought! But actually weak deceivers, in nature as well = as in life, are the fittest...Dust, even Tanagra's, is soft and small = but, in the end, it shall await us all? In VN's lines I can still feel = the shock running down my long and not so supple spine related to = cowardice and VN's father's assassination.

Search the = archive Contact the Editors Visit "Nabokov Online Journal"
Visit Zembla View Nabokv-L Policies Manage subscription options

All private = editorial communications, without exception, are read by both co-editors. =


See how Windows=AE connects the people, information, and = fun that are part of your life Click here
Search the archive Contact the = Editors Visit "Nabokov = Online Journal"
Vi= sit Zembla View = Nabokv-L Policies Manage subscription = options

All = private editorial communications, without exception, are read by both co-editors.

Search the archive Contact the Editors Visit "Nabokov Online Journal"
Visit Zembla View Nabokv-L Policies Manage subscription options

All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by both co-editors.

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