Arnie Perlstein:: A Clockwork Orange Consumed at a Naked Nakobov Lunch: Anthony Burgess & William S. Burroughs, Two (More) “Strange Bookfellows” in Covert Janeism: "Over the past 5 years, I have collected a steadily growing number of instances of famous writers who have lived since JA died, who would seem to have been unlikely Janeites, but actually were positively engaged in some way(s) with JA’s writing..."

 

JM: Thanks to Edmund Wilson's steady promptings, Nabokov became "positively engaged in some way with JA's writing." (he was equally engaged in some way with Cervantes's "Don Quixote." and other authors, perhaps JA, as a female, was one of the few exceptions).

Why do you consider Nabokov's engagement with Austen to be significant enough to become an example of "Covert Janeism"? (ie: why "covert")