Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0017651, Mon, 2 Feb 2009 13:49:36 -0500

Subject
Botkin, V.
Date
Body
Several commentators have noted the peculiar typography of the ``*Botkin*,
V.'' index entry in Pale Fire; it stands out because the ``V'' is set in
roman, while all of the other index labels are italicized.

By typographical convention, when text is italicized for emphasis, any words
that were italicized in the original are put in roman type.

There have been various theories about this ``V'', including the reasonable
assumption that it abbreviates ``Vseslav'', the family name of Charles II.
But the typographic emphasis remains unexplained.

``*V*.'', in italics, is a standard abbreviation for *verso*. This would
suggest that Botkin and Kinbote are *verso* and *recto* -- two sides of the
same leaf, and one and the same person as hinted at several points in the
Commentary.

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