Content-Type: message/rfc822 Date: Sun, 07 Dec 2008 09:50:44 -0500 From: "jansymello" To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" Subject: [NABOKOV-L] Query on Alps, Bera range, Algonquin...Birches Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="=__Part2C0453D4.1__=" --=__Part2C0453D4.1__= Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="=__Part2C0453D4.2__=" --=__Part2C0453D4.2__= Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I retrieved from the VN List-Archives (May,5 2008) information about TOOL = and Dmitri's indignant response to Cynthia Ozick.=20 Here is C. Ozick's description - for what it's worth: 'all Nabokovites had to sustain them were such Laura notes as "Inspiration.= Radiant insomnia. The flavour and snows of beloved alpine slopes. A novel = without an I, without a he, but with the narrator, a gliding eye, being = implied throughout." ' I once read that one could know a Russian writer by his reference to = sparkling snow and birch-trees. In my collection of Poems of Exile ( in = Russian and Spanish: Poemas desde el exilio), I only found one reference = to a birch-tree (it was made twice in the same poem)*. I tried to check = it in "Poems and Problems" but their selection of poems is distinct and, = until now, no birches! In the Spanish they are found in poem XXIX, = "Visi=F3n" ( written in 1924).=20 VN once compared New Hampshire and Vermont to his familiar landscapes in = Russia, but more often he settled for the "beloved alpine slopes" and a = Swiss scenery. He stresses the similarity bt. the landscape in Montreux = and his childhood recollections. =20 Nevertheless the mountains in NH and Vermont (or in New Wye...despite = "Mont Blon") must be very different from the ragged Alps ( and Zembla?). Was VN emphasizing the kind of vegetation (firs and birches) or its = butterflies, instead of the massive weight of stone, to inspire and = stimulate his recollections? Cf. VN's poem 9, written in Feldberg,1925: "I = like that mountain in its black pelisse of fir forests - because in the = gloom of a strange mountain country I am closer to home..."=20 From H.S years I remember a comparison bt. America's ancient mountain = ranges bordering the Atlantic and those in South America (minus the snow), = always set in contrast with the Pacific Rockies and Andes. My geography = must be wrong... =20 Concerning the "gliding eye", I was reminded of VN's short-story "Terror", = his "posthumous-game" in "The Eye" and "TT" ... but the chief suggestive = link, for me, lies in a poem, written by VN in Paris,1939, titled = "Oculus", from where I'll copy its last verses:"Gone, in fact, is the = break between matter/ and eternity; and who can care/ for a world of = omnipotent vision,/if nothing is monogrammed there?" Pale Fire's promises are comforting by their offer of preserved personal = memory under IPH... .............................................................. Birches ( a quick survey): ADA: Blinking in the green sunshine under a birch tree, Ada explained to = her passionate fortuneteller..[...]They were now about to enter Gamlet, = the little Russian village, from which a birch-lined road led quickly to = Ardis.=20 Lolita: when I saw Lo next, in the late afternoon, balancing on her bike, = pressing the palm of her hand to the damp bark of a young birch tree on = the edge of our lawn [...]for an instant I believed all our troubles gone = =20 TRLSK: "A last change: a V-shaped flight of migrating cranes; their tender = moan melting in a turquoise-blue sky high above a tawny birch-grove. = Sebastian,=20 still not alone, is seated on the white-and-cinder-grey trunk of a felled = tree. His bicycle rests[...]'Is this the end? " The Defense: He sat opposite them [...] and looked aside at the thick = birch trunks spinning past along a ditch that was full of their leaves. A Forgotten Poet: His clothes and a half-eaten apple were found lying = under a birch tree, but the body was never recovered. The Wood-Sprite: I enjoyed the Cinderella-like dream-transformation of a = clock[...] Later, when he ( probably) woke up "a wondrously subtle scent = in the room, of birch, of humid moss..." lingered on. Natasha: Beyond the lake was the same dark pine forest, but here and there = one could glimpse a white trunk and the mist of yellow leaves of a = birch[...] Natasha suddenly recalled Levitan's landscapes. She had the = impression that they were in Russia, that you could only be in Russia when = such torrid happiness constricts your throat... Tamara: "I discovered her standing quite still (only her eyes were = moving) in a birch grove, she seemed to have been spontaneously generated = there, among=20 those watchful trees, with the silent completeness of a mythological = manifestation."... 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/ --=__Part2C0453D4.2__= Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Description: HTML
I retrieved from the VN List-Archives (May,5&nbs= p;=20 2008) information about TOOL and Dmitri's indignant response to = Cynthia=20 Ozick.
Here is C. Ozick's description - for what = it's=20 worth:
'all Nabokovites had to sustain them were such Laura notes as=20 "Inspiration. Radiant insomnia. The flavour and snows of beloved = alpine=20 slopes. A novel without an I, without a he, but with the narrator, a = gliding=20 eye, being implied throughout." '
 
I once read that one could know a Russian = writer by his=20 reference to sparkling snow and birch-trees. In my collection = of=20 Poems of Exile ( in Russian and Spanish: Poemas desde el = exilio),=20 I only found one reference to a birch-tree  (it was made twice in the = same=20 poem)*. I tried to check it in "Poems and Problems" but = their=20 selection of poems is distinct and, until now, no birches! In the = Spanish=20 they are found in  poem XXIX, "Visi=F3n" ( written in 1924).=20
 
VN once compared New Hampshire and Vermont to = his=20 familiar landscapes in Russia, but more often he settled for the "belo= ved=20 alpine slopes" and a Swiss scenery. He stresses the similarity bt. = the=20 landscape in Montreux and his childhood recollections. 
Nevertheless the mountains in NH and = Vermont (or=20 in New Wye...despite "Mont Blon") must be very different = from the=20 ragged Alps  ( and Zembla?).
Was VN emphasizing the kind of vegetation = (firs=20 and birches) or its butterflies, instead of the  massive = weight=20 of stone, to inspire and stimulate his recollections? Cf. VN's poem = 9,=20 written in Feldberg,1925: "I like that mountain in = its black=20 pelisse of fir forests - because in the gloom of a strange mountain = country I am=20 closer to home..."=20
From H.S years I remember a comparison = bt.=20 America's ancient mountain ranges bordering the Atlantic and = those in=20 South America (minus the snow), always set in contrast with the = Pacific=20 Rockies and Andes. My geography must be wrong... =20
 
Concerning the "gliding eye", I was reminded of = VN's=20 short-story "Terror", his "posthumous-game" in "The Eye" and=20 "TT" ... but the chief suggestive link,  for me, lies = in a=20 poem, written by VN in Paris,1939, titled "Oculus", from where I'll copy its last=20 verses:"Gone, in fact, is the break between matter/ = and=20 eternity; and who can care/ for a world of omnipotent vision,/if=20 nothing is monogrammed there?"
Pale Fire's promises are comforting = by=20 their offer of preserved personal memory under IPH...
 
...........................................................= ...
 
Birches  ( a quick survey):
ADA: = Blinking in=20 the green sunshine under a birch tree, Ada explained to her passionate=20 fortuneteller..[...]They were now about to enter Gamlet, the little = Russian=20 village, from which a birch-lined road led quickly to Ardis.
Lolita: when I saw Lo next, in the = late=20 afternoon, balancing on her bike, pressing the palm of her hand to the = damp bark=20 of a young birch tree on the edge of our lawn [...]for an instant I = believed all=20 our troubles gone 
TRLSK: "A last change: a V-shaped flight = of=20 migrating cranes; their tender moan melting in a turquoise-blue sky high = above=20 a tawny birch-grove. Sebastian,
still not alone, is seated on = the=20 white-and-cinder-grey trunk of a felled tree. His bicycle rests[...]'Is = this the=20 end? "
The Defense: He sat opposite them [...] and = looked=20 aside at the thick birch trunks spinning past along a ditch that was full = of=20 their leaves.
A Forgotten Poet: His clothes and a half-eaten = apple=20 were found lying under a birch tree, but the body was never recovered.
<= U>The=20 Wood-Sprite: I enjoyed the Cinderella-like dream-transformation of = a=20 clock[...] Later, when he ( probably) woke up "a wondrously subtle scent = in the=20 room, of birch, of humid moss..." lingered on.
Natasha: = Beyond the=20 lake was the same dark pine forest, but here and there one could glimpse a = white=20 trunk and the mist of yellow leaves of a birch[...] Natasha suddenly = recalled=20 Levitan's landscapes. She had the impression that they were in Russia, = that you=20 could only be in Russia when such torrid happiness constricts your=20 throat...
Tamara:&nb= sp; "I=20 discovered her standing quite still (only her eyes were moving) in a = birch=20 grove, she seemed to have been spontaneously generated there, among =
those=20 watchful trees, with the silent completeness of a mythological=20 manifestation."...
 
 
 
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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