Subject
Re: Firebird
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Date
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With reference to the discussion below, it may be worth recalling that VN
in an interview in October 1971 said:
"...I believe that one day a reappraiser will come and declare that, far
from having been a frivolous firebird, I was a rigid moralist kicking sin,
cuffing stupidity, ridiculing the vulgar and cruel -- and assigning sovereign
power to tenderness, talent, and pride." [Strong Opinions (1973),
McGraw-Hill, p. 193.]
Anthony Stadlen
Carolyn Kunin: In my pursuit of Kalmakov, I came across a costume design
by Goncharova for the character 'Sirin' in the Ballets Russes production of
the Rimsky-Korsakov opera Tsar Saltan. Has anyone really studied the
meaning(s) and implication(s) of VN's choice of nom de bird? [ ]. It seems
possible that in choosing the name 'Sirin,' VN intended to affiliate himself
with this cult ("Firebird).
Jansy Mello: Great images, particularly the Sirin costume and the story
about the "Firebird" trend. Nabokov usually values words-images that allow
for more than one single acception As a riddle-maker he might have also kept
in mind the Egyptian-Greek sphynx. As C.Kunin notes, there are many
possibilities still open when the Sirin myth is explored.
The word 'firebird" is mentioned by him in ADA, to alude to red-haired
Lucette" Simultaneously, without turning her head, she slapped furtive Van
away from her rear, and with her other hand made magic passes over the small
but very pretty breasts, gemmed with sweat, and along the flat palpitating
belly of a seasand nymph, down to the firebird seen by Van once, fully
fledged now, and as fascinating in its own way as his favorite’s blue raven.
Enchantress! Acrasia!"
Lucette is designated as a "seasand nymph", a " darling firebird", a BOP,
a mermaid, Esmeralda: "We are even sorrier to have inveigled our Esmeralda
and mermaid in a naughty prank. That sort of game will never be played
again with you, darling firebird. We apollo [apologize]. Remembrance, embers
and membranes of beauty make artists and morons lose all self-control....We
wished to admire and amuse you, BOP (bird of paradise). We went too far.. In
Ada's hand we find that "something in the tone of your note makes me
really jealous for the first time in my fire [thus in the manuscript, for
"life." Ed.]
Unlike you, I don't particularly see any Vladimirian literary extensions
to be gleaned from Kalmakov's painting (except the precious information that
the painting was owned by his parents and hung somewhere in the house).
Nevertheless, the firebird and mermaid/seasand nymph associations in ADA seem
to confirm your hunch! (There are a lot of aquatic images, words, worlds
in ADA.)
Anthony Stadlen
"Oakleigh"
2A Alexandra Avenue
GB - London N22 7XE
Tel.: +44 (0) 20 8888 6857
Email: stadlen@aol.com
Founder (in 1996) and convenor of the Inner Circle Seminars: an ethical,
existential, phenomenological search for truth in psychotherapy
See
"Existential Psychotherapy & Inner Circle Seminars" at
_http://anthonystadlen.blogspot.com/_ (http://anthonystadlen.blogspot.com/) for programme of
future Inner Circle Seminars and complete archive of past seminars
In a message dated 10/05/2012 03:11:29 GMT Daylight Time, jansy@AETERN.US
writes:
Carolyn Kunin: In my pursuit of Kalmakov, I came across a costume design
by Goncharova for the character 'Sirin' in the Ballets Russes production of
the Rimsky-Korsakov opera Tsar Saltan. Has anyone really studied the
meaning(s) and implication(s) of VN's choice of nom de bird? [ ]. It seems
possible that in choosing the name 'Sirin,' VN intended to affiliate himself
with this cult ("Firebird).
Jansy Mello: Great images, particularly the Sirin costume and the story
about the "Firebird" trend. Nabokov usually values words-images that allow
for more than one single acception As a riddle-maker he might have also kept
in mind the Egyptian-Greek sphynx. As C.Kunin notes, there are many
possibilities still open when the Sirin myth is explored.
The word 'firebird" is mentioned by him in ADA, to alude to red-haired
Lucette" Simultaneously, without turning her head, she slapped furtive Van
away from her rear, and with her other hand made magic passes over the small
but very pretty breasts, gemmed with sweat, and along the flat palpitating
belly of a seasand nymph, down to the firebird seen by Van once, fully
fledged now, and as fascinating in its own way as his favorite’s blue raven.
Enchantress! Acrasia!"
Lucette is designated as a "seasand nymph", a " darling firebird", a BOP,
a mermaid, Esmeralda: "We are even sorrier to have inveigled our Esmeralda
and mermaid in a naughty prank. That sort of game will never be played
again with you, darling firebird. We apollo [apologize]. Remembrance, embers
and membranes of beauty make artists and morons lose all self-control....We
wished to admire and amuse you, BOP (bird of paradise). We went too far.. In
Ada's hand we find that "something in the tone of your note makes me
really jealous for the first time in my fire [thus in the manuscript, for
"life." Ed.]
Unlike you, I don't particularly see any Vladimirian literary extensions
to be gleaned from Kalmakov's painting (except the precious information that
the painting was owned by his parents and hung somewhere in the house).
Nevertheless, the firebird and mermaid/seasand nymph associations in ADA seem
to confirm your hunch! (There are a lot of aquatic images, words, worlds
in ADA.)
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