Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0014233, Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:17:54 -0500

Subject
JF on PF topics
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Date
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I think I sent a long post, which I think never arrived. Here
are two points I remember, plus two more.

I think CHW credited me with more than I deserved in regard
to Botkin. All I argued in our e-mail exchange was that he
was Kinbote. I've always been immune to the temptation (or
insensitive to the suggestions) to see Shade as anyone's
invention but Nabokov's.

CHW also mentioned "nikto b", which the Russian speakers
have ruled out. I think. But I'd like to clarify this
last detail: if someone asks "Who is Botkin?", is "Nikto
b" an absolutely unidiomatic answer? I promise not to ask
about this again. In any case, "Botkin" backwards contains
"nikto", and Alexander Dolinin (I apologize for getting your
name wrong earlier) has advised us not to dismiss that
lightly.

The "index" poem has come up; it features a rhyme that
might seem more strained than any in "Pale Fire". Does
that mean Nabokov intended it to be a bad poem?

I must admit that it's been some years since I wrote an English
paper, and as Jansy points out, I might have gotten a little
ambitious for Matt's students.

Jerry Friedman




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