Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0017645, Sun, 1 Feb 2009 01:35:11 -0200

Subject
Re: THOUGHTS re citations in DZ annotations--ombriole --lithophane
From
Date
Body
S K-B to Dieter Z: I add my praise ...Not only for the reasonable arguments recently posted, but for their Nabokovian humour and elegance. They admirably confirm your long, valued exposure to the Master [...] Yet am I the first to report the following suggestive support for DZ’s “ombriole” derivation [...] from VN’s Russian translation of “Speak Memory” [his mum is picking mushrooms, (II:3)] ...Clearly, VN’s “second thoughts” transformed the mundane “mist all around her” into the magical дымчатого ореола. It’s at least arguable that “aureole” graced a favoured place in VN’s lexis [...]Further, Joe Lavender’s naughty holograms (is this the word DJ used for projected 3-dimensional images?) call for the corona that, my saucy friends tell me, surrounds many a ripe nipple. Only brolly fetishists would connect ombrioles with umbrellas! Note, en passant, that “nipple,” like the Latin “aureolus” (from “aureus” = [golden] crown) is also a diminutive! These diminutives have less to do with size, one hopes, than as terms of endearment ;=)

JM: The word related to DJ's information is Lithophanes ( Porcelain impressed with figures which are made distinct by transmitted light, as in a lamp shade or when hung in a window. -- Lith`o*phan"ic, a. -- Li*thoph"a*ny, n. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] ) Actually there is a discussion related to them, VN's "Lolithophany" and even ombrioles (May,2008) posted after D.Johnson's news about the Blair Museum of Lithophanes [...]
"When the ambient light is extinguished and the lithophane is back-lit, a beautiful, three-dimensional picture appears in incredible depth and detail. When you see the actual lithophane at the Blair Museum, you will see some additional lithophane magic which cannot be seen in a two dimensional photograph. Due to the three dimensionality of lithophanes, the perspective will change as you walk past the lithophane. The avenue behind the fountain actually appears to move."

btw: Would I be one of those "brolly fetichists" because I connected ombrioles and umbrellas, instead of lampshades and parasols (umbelas?) or aureolated nipples and mushrooms?

Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en

Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com

Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/








Attachment