Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0018180, Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:53:10 -0300

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Re: THOUGHTS: Hazel in Pale Fire and Solus Rex
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A.Sklyarenko:...Hazel, the name of a character in PF, was the name of a beverage (хэйзель, sounds very exotic and almost magical to a Russian ear) in PF's Russian predecessor, Solus Rex (1942)

JM: An additional reminder. In Grimm's original tale Cinderella has no fairy-godmother at all. A hazel-tree grew on Cinderella's mother's tomb and it had magic properties.

On PF: Another observation concerning July 21st ...or 22nd.

In his poem Shade mentions three items: an alarm clock, a book-shelf and the sun on Dr.Sutton's windowpanes.*
We know Shade had been looking onto his garden, with shadows rising to greet his eyes ( either Sybil's or the butterfly's).**
The scene suggests to us that Shade is in his study or in his room on the second-floor.
Kinbote informs us that he found John Shade, with a numb leg, sitting outside in his porch, Sybil away and Red Vanessa still to rise. ***



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* "Shall wake at six tomorrow...the day will probably be fine;...So this alarm clock let me set myself,/ Yawn, and put back Shade's "Poems" on their shelf [...]. The sun attains/ Old Dr. Sutton's last two windowpanes."



**. JS: "And when we lost our child/ I knew there would be nothing: no self-styled/ Spirit would touch a keyboard of dry wood [] no phanto/ Rise gracefully to welcome you and me/in the dark garden, near the shagbark tree."



***CK: "Through the trees I distinguished John's white shirt and gray hair: he sat in his Nest (as he called it), the arborlike porch or veranda[...] I openly walked up to his porch or perch [...] I said, "has the muse been kind to you?"[...] "Exceptionally kind and gentle. In fact...I've swung it, by God."[...] 'Foot gone to sleep. Sybil is at a dinner meeting of her club'. "

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