L.Hochard [ to JM:
""petard" in French has different meanings...] In French slang,
"pétard" also has the meaning of "bottom", usually "big bottom" (un gros
pétard); it is also a rolled cigarette with hashish or
marijuana.
JM: Laurence Hochard's information about the
French slang pétard for "big bottom," stimulated me to search for another
reference to Ben Wright's farting (btw: duly corrected,here I note
that Trofim's name is Fartukov and not Fartukoff, as I've been
referring to him until now.) A search after "il pue" led me to B.Boyd's
annotations to ADA (ch 13, part I) 87.32-88.09: slight
commotion . . . he does not smell good. . . . Il pue. . . . I doubt
strongly he ever was in that Rajah’s service: Cf.140.01-02: “Ben
Wright was fired after letting winds go free while driving Marina and Mlle
Larivière home from the Vendange Festival at Brantôme near Ladore.”
[...] 88.08-09:
in that Rajah’s service:
Cf. 408.18-19: “Bengal Ben, as the servants called him.” MOTIF: Rajah.
[QUERY] Walt Disney's
1992 movie, Aladdin, could not have inspired Nabokov in the link
between Bengal Ben, a "Rajah" and a "Bengal tiger" (Yasmine's
tiger was named Rajah), although there are ample references to "1001 Nights" and
magic carpets in ADA.
It's too long since I
last read the story. Its subject has been discussed already in the
List, but in another context.
Does anyone remember if
there is any Rajah bengal tiger in any of the Aladdin versions with
which Nabokov could have been familiar?
............................................................................................................................................
For those who may be curious
about coincidences, here is a link that carried me to Shakespeare's "petar" in a
most amusing setting.
Mr. Shakespeare's blog: April 2009 ... K.Laxness, Vladimir
Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. .... Using
the downloadable reader mentioned above and searching for
"petard" will find ...
mrshakespeare.typepad.com/.../2009/.../index.html
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