Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0019307, Tue, 2 Feb 2010 12:24:36 -0200

Subject
[NABOKOV-L] From Eros,Sore and Rose (festering ressentment and
"draoncles")
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Alexey Sklyarenko: Vasiliy Ivanovich Rukavishnikov's nickname was Ruka, not "Rukka."...Russian for "hand," "arm." The surname Rukavishnikov comes from rukavishnik, "the person who makes рукавицы, mittens." ...Otherwise, I don't see any connection between dracunculi, uncle Ruka and orchids in Ada.

JM:
Dear Alexey,
Your are certainly a non-Russian-reader' s eyes and ears with your sensitivity for words and wide reading and scholarship.
After you described uncle Ruka's surname, one loose sentence in ADA started to make a little more sense to me ( "Mr Plunkett considered the use of all mechanical media, mirrors and vulgar ‘sleeve rakes’ as leading inevitably to exposure, just as jellies, muslin, rubber hands, and so on sully and shorten a professional medium’s career.") Sleeve rakes and rubber hands..gaunlets and mittens?
Now I must figure out "rakes" and "racks" and "burka"and "Karakul caps", even Dan as a foolish red Durak, and Tartary's Kurland....
Would any of these, indirectly, suggest Ruka and Rukavishnikov? In Mr.Plunkett's example there were no "sonorous" or punning clues, only the extensive ennumeration of, to me, senseless items.
In relation to your hedgehog associations, iron rods and Stalin...aren't Russian thistles and artemisia flowers weeds, ie "Unkraut"?
Weren't the German soldiers nicknamed "Kraut" and the Russians "Iwan"?(the latter I got from wiki, I hope without distorting it too much)

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