Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0002026, Sat, 19 Apr 1997 10:05:56 -0700

Subject
Yo - Semite (fwd)
Date
Body

From: Dmitri Nabokov


Both Earl Sampson's plausible hypotheses and Sylvia Wendel's

comprehensive comments certainly make sense. It is very likely that

VN's meticulous eye noticed the mimetic semeiotics of "Yosemite" road

signs as it did the Chur coincidence. I doubt if it goes beyond

patterns of language, but I did not mean to be flippant or

hyperskeptical. And my mention of the example was suggested by a query

in a different context of some weeks ago. So perhaps some of "Yosemite"

belongs in each of my clue categories, with a bit left over for Ebonics

and of course Prof. Ronnie W. is right: one must not lose sight of the

storytelling amid the forest of fascinating details. The only bit of

flora VN would not have endorsed is "SYMBOLISM". Substitute, for

instance, "IMAGERY".


DN