Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0017495, Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:29:09 +0000

Subject
Re: Responses to Nabokov and Walt Disney (Duck Amuck)
Date
Body
Matt: So glad you noted the vital fact that Looney Tunes must not be
confused with the generally inferior Disney cartoons. Animation
scholars/historians usually rate Charles M (CHUCK) JONES as a greater genius
than the bland-cute Walt! Chuck¹s three masterpieces ³Duck Amuck,² ³What¹s
Opera, Doc?² and ³One Froggy Evening² are regularly voted among the top ten
animations of all time. See http://www.chuckjones.com/

Froggy lacks Duck Amuck¹s ³self-referential² interventions (such as the
cartoonist¹s eraser pencil!) but the 7-minute story-line divinely examines
the notion of commodifying art: Froggy resists commercial exploitation by
performing only in the absence of an audience. Stop what you¹re doing NOW
and visit YouTube at
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QGE8wVTvHF0

To forestall misunderstanding, one recognizes that cartoons are very much
collaborative art forms. Both Disney and Jones had talented teams that must
share the kudos &/or criticism. Nevertheless, Jones is acknowledged as the
chief begetter in creating the odd-ball Looney Tunes characters for Warner
Bros.

Wiki notes the one occasion when Jones¹ and Disney¹s characters converged:

In 1988, several Looney Tunes characters appeared in cameo roles in Who
Framed Roger Rabbit. The more notable cameos featured Bugs Bunny, Daffy
Duck, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester, and Tweety. It is the only time in which
Looney Tunes characters have shared screen time with their rivals at
Disney‹particularly in the scenes where Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse are
skydiving, and when Daffy Duck and Donald Duck are performing their
"Duelling Pianos" sequence.

It¹s a shame that in spite of Chuck¹s 3 Oscars, his distinct corpus is still
confused with Disney¹s. I equate that to praising Dostoevsky¹s Madame
Bovary.

I suspect that Nabokov preferred the bizarre, surreal, often CRUEL [!]
Looney Tunes cast of characters (esp. Road Runner) in spite of occasionally
politically-incorrect ethnic stereotypes.

SES: Has our in-house Anagrammist suggested that your real target should be
[Sir Philip] SIDNEY? Oops, too late!

Nabokov's Ada and Sidney's Arcadia: the regeneration of a Phoenix.
From: The Modern Language Review | Date: January 1, 2004| Author: McCarthy,
Penny |
This article argues that an important feature of Nabokov's Ada or Ardor is
its evocation of Sidney's romance Arcadia and sonnet sequence Astrophel and
Stella. Particular echoes and general thematic resonance are investigated,
and found to be too pervasive to be coincidental. Reasons are offered why
Nabokov might have been secretive about such an ancestry. They concern his
political, erotic, and literary self-construction, and underlie his whole
oeuvre, adding a layer of meaning to his chosen nom de plume, 'Sirin'.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-132906752.html

Stan Kelly-Bootle


On 16/12/2008 18:46, "NABOKV-L" <NABOKV-L@HOLYCROSS.EDU> wrote:

> Eric Butterbaugh said:
> During a recent symposium entitled Lolita in America (The New School,
> NYC, 27-Sept-08), Alfred Appel briefly discussed *Lolita's *self-reflexive
> structure (i.e. narrative involution, self-conscious fiction, etc.). He
> said something to the effect of "[Disney's] Duck Amuck is the best
> example of self-reflexivity in art." It's posted on YouTube and appears
> on *Looney Toons Golden Collection: Volume 1.* Hope this helps.
>
> MR: I was really happy to see this comparison from Appel, since I have, for
> several years now, used "Duck Amuck" (1953) in my course on VN as an example
> of VN's view of art. I should mention, however, that it is a Warner Bros.
> cartoon, not a Disney cartoon.
>
> Matt
>


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