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Re: Henry James and Nabokov. (fwd)
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Re notes by Dintenfass & Iannarelli on VN & James:
Mark D. is, I think, quite right, in his suggestion. I published a note on
VN's HJ parody in ADA in "THE VN Newsletter" (predecessor of THE
NABOKOVIAN), issue 3, pp. 33-34 and drew much the same conclusion.
As for PHillip I.'s comment: VN disclaimed any "influence" from
anybody--altho the accuracy of his claim depends in part on the murky
meaning of "influence." Obviously no parody exists without the "influence"
of its source text. It seems not unlikely that VN was quite aware of James
when he (VN) was at Cambridge and some critics have suggested HJ's shadow in
VN's 1924 "La Veneziana."
Don Johnson
----- Original Message -----
From: "Galya Diment" <galya@u.washington.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2000 6:43 AM
Subject: Re: Henry James and Nabokov. (fwd)
> From: Mark Dintenfass <mldin@execpc.com>
>
> >From: Iann88@aol.com
> >
> >Did James influence Nabokov in any way that
> >Nabokov would not admit?
>
>
> I don't know if Nabokov admitted it, but it seems apparent to me that
> Lolita is (among many other things, of course) a satiric inversion of
> James' trans-Atlantic theme: cynical old Europe debauched by innocent
> young America.
>
> Mark Dintenfass
> Lawrence University
>
>
> --
> --
>
> Mark
Mark D. is, I think, quite right, in his suggestion. I published a note on
VN's HJ parody in ADA in "THE VN Newsletter" (predecessor of THE
NABOKOVIAN), issue 3, pp. 33-34 and drew much the same conclusion.
As for PHillip I.'s comment: VN disclaimed any "influence" from
anybody--altho the accuracy of his claim depends in part on the murky
meaning of "influence." Obviously no parody exists without the "influence"
of its source text. It seems not unlikely that VN was quite aware of James
when he (VN) was at Cambridge and some critics have suggested HJ's shadow in
VN's 1924 "La Veneziana."
Don Johnson
----- Original Message -----
From: "Galya Diment" <galya@u.washington.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2000 6:43 AM
Subject: Re: Henry James and Nabokov. (fwd)
> From: Mark Dintenfass <mldin@execpc.com>
>
> >From: Iann88@aol.com
> >
> >Did James influence Nabokov in any way that
> >Nabokov would not admit?
>
>
> I don't know if Nabokov admitted it, but it seems apparent to me that
> Lolita is (among many other things, of course) a satiric inversion of
> James' trans-Atlantic theme: cynical old Europe debauched by innocent
> young America.
>
> Mark Dintenfass
> Lawrence University
>
>
> --
> --
>
> Mark