Gary Lipon [to JM's  ".. not the dream"] "I think this simply refers to Shade's vision of the fountain, which had just been discredited by Coates."

JM: A very sensible observation. Sometimes even Nabokovian words may be simply simple, such as "dream." 

S Kelly-Bootle, 2nd round: [The Importance of Butterflies in the Life of a Literary Master,by Jeff VanderMeer: "I don't know why it seemed such a shot of adrenaline to read ...about Nabokov being vindicated on a butterfly migration theory...I think it is just energizing and inspirational to think of a man who left such a huge literary legacy managing to excel at what many would consider his hobby. Who doesn't like to see a hardworking "amateur"win out? ...In time, Nabokov would earn the respect of many scientists for his work, but others accused him of being an "excessive splitter"...However, as in the case of the migration theory, most of Nabokov's "splits,"concluding that similar butterflies were separate species, have since been proven correct. Perhaps the most obvious manifestation of Nabokov's influence lies in the number of butterflies named in his honor, including Itylos luzhin (factoring in his love of chess), Pseudolucia vera, Nabokovia ada, Paralycaides shade, Madeleinea vokoban, Polytheclus Cincinnatus, and Leptotes krug.] "It may be worth stressing that in the long, rocky road known as the History of Science, the term Amateur should never be taken in derogatory opposition to Professional.'By their deeds shall we know them' ... "
JM: Another good point, now on "amateurs x professionals." In sports, even in independent scientific reseach, amateurs shouldn't expect to obtain financial rewards for their achievements: its just a matter of "virtue is its own reward." In the academic universe this distinction is more complex, perhaps because it must rely on  social indexes and established patterns?