Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0023231, Wed, 8 Aug 2012 18:43:09 -0400

Subject
Re: Caged animals in Kakfa and in R.M.Rilke
Date
Body
absolutely on the target, VN himself cites seeing a caged animals drawing of the bars of the cage as the first glint of the future Lolita tale. The early 20 th century had many advocates of various animals subjected to vile acts by humans.. see jacl London's forward to the call of the Wild. Compassion and empathy are part of a global artistic tradition.



-----Original Message-----
From: Jansy <jansy@AETERN.US>
To: NABOKV-L <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Wed, Aug 8, 2012 5:23 pm
Subject: [NABOKV-L] Caged animals in Kakfa and in R.M.Rilke


There were various exchanges in the List about HH's caged ape, including a reference to Leland de La Durantaye's article dealing with Kafka (more details in the N-L Archives).
While I was reading a new translation of RM Rilke's poems, the prefatory comments, by José Paulo Paes, invited me to dwell a little longer on a specific poem, "The Panther."

J.P. Paes mentions the article "Impresionismo y expresionismo" *(translated by M.B.Heimerle. Madri. Guadarrama, 1963) by Walter Falk, in which Kafka's "expressionism" and R.M.Rilke's "impressionism" (based on his theory about Weltinneraum ) are contrasted, one of the examples being related to how both presented human beings and caged animals.

Rainier Maria Rilke had been advised by the sculptor Rodin to visit the Parisian Zoo to watch the various animals. Here are a few lines from the last lines of Rilke's poem
"Der Panther - Im Jardin des Plantes, Paris"

"Nur manchmal schiebt der Vorhang der Pupille
sich lautlos auf - Dann geht ein Bild hinein,
geht durch der Glieder angespannte Stille -
und hört im Herzen auf zu sein." .

Rodin and Rilke are connected to caged animals in le Jardin de Plantes and, according to Falk, unlike Kafka, Rilke tries to "get inside" the feline's mind or sensations to try to look at the world outside the cage through his eyes.

Nabokov's indication concerning the "first pangs of Lolita" may have conflated the two writers (both wrote in German, both are from Prague), to render Humbert Humbert's universe, while emphasizing his limitations and prison.
Rilke's feline, not the ape, might also correspond to agile, tennis-playing Lolita, caged by her predator HH..

Jansy Mello.


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