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Nabokoviana: Zadie Smith's White Teeth
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Although there has been no response to my proposal to establish a special literary category based on matters (transcen-)dental, I would like to propose Zadie Smith's WHITE TEETH for the canon (Amis & Nabokov). In addition to the title reference, there are chapters entitled "Teething Troubles," "The Root Canals of Alfred Archibald Jones and Samad Miah Iqbal," "Molars","The Root Canals of Mangal Pande," "Canines; The Ripping Teeth" and "The Root Canals of Hortense Bowden." There is also an excruciatingly funny 5-6 riff on teeth-in-pain.
Although Ms Smith has expressed her admiration of VN, there are, so far as I noticed, any references to him, apart from section epigraph heading from LOLITA. I did, however, find one (and only one) use of Nabokov's play of alphabetic iconicism. Page 363 contains a long riff on the expression "to be involved with." The build-up to the final image is a recapitulation of the novel's complex series of relationships: "[The characters] walk IN and they get trapped between the revolving doors of those two V's. Involved. Just a tired inevitable fact........An enormous web you spin to catch yourself." NB how those Vs join to form that W of "web."
Ms Smith has written a very funny novel with, ultimately, a serious theme.
D. Barton Johnson
Although Ms Smith has expressed her admiration of VN, there are, so far as I noticed, any references to him, apart from section epigraph heading from LOLITA. I did, however, find one (and only one) use of Nabokov's play of alphabetic iconicism. Page 363 contains a long riff on the expression "to be involved with." The build-up to the final image is a recapitulation of the novel's complex series of relationships: "[The characters] walk IN and they get trapped between the revolving doors of those two V's. Involved. Just a tired inevitable fact........An enormous web you spin to catch yourself." NB how those Vs join to form that W of "web."
Ms Smith has written a very funny novel with, ultimately, a serious theme.
D. Barton Johnson