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Re: Firebird reply to A. Stadlen
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On May 10, 2012, at 4:07 AM, Anthony Stadlen wrote: [...] [...] ... 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.)
Carolyn Kunin answers: Dear Mr Stadlen, Because of the layout of your last post, it's not clear whom you are addressing when you write "unlike you" - but I'll take it to mean me. I don't know what you mean by "Vladimirian literary extensions" - but I think I can assure you I did not intend to make any such. My pursuit of Kalmakov in the "Vladimirian" (I would rather say Nabokovian) context, is more directly biographical and only secondarily literary. Probably this is because my least favorite of VN's works is definitely Ada. I never intend to read it again, that's for damned sure....As for VN's denial of any firebird identity, I'd take that and put it in a box with his similar denial of any interests in doubles. It's a pretty big box, and the label I'd put on it would be "TO BE TAKEN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT."
JANSY MELLO: Once again there's a problem in connection to A.Stadlen's lay out of his postings - and the wrong person gets the "fame" (it rhymes with "blame"). That part, addressing you, was written by me, JM. Sometimes I prefer the "Vladimirian" to the "Nabokovian" because, perhaps, there exist as many Vladimirs as there are Nabokovs - and in the context, I intended to distinguish him from his parents. I thought your explorations of the Kalmakov painting was related to Vladimir Nabokov, as if he'd have made literary references to K's "Death" and that sub-aquatic matters in Ada might have been inspired by his parents's painting. I disagree with that assumpation and now I see that it was not your intention.
A.Stadlen's quote about VN description of himself (" far from having been a frivolous firebird, I was a rigid moralist..") is very apt and, as you note, fits into the box labeled "to be taken with a grain of salt." - at least, in part. I believe he was "a moralist kicking sin, cuffing stupidity, ridiculing the vulgar and cruel...." but I agree with you that it's doubtful that he never intended to associate himself, as sirin, to the "firebird" vogue.
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Carolyn Kunin answers: Dear Mr Stadlen, Because of the layout of your last post, it's not clear whom you are addressing when you write "unlike you" - but I'll take it to mean me. I don't know what you mean by "Vladimirian literary extensions" - but I think I can assure you I did not intend to make any such. My pursuit of Kalmakov in the "Vladimirian" (I would rather say Nabokovian) context, is more directly biographical and only secondarily literary. Probably this is because my least favorite of VN's works is definitely Ada. I never intend to read it again, that's for damned sure....As for VN's denial of any firebird identity, I'd take that and put it in a box with his similar denial of any interests in doubles. It's a pretty big box, and the label I'd put on it would be "TO BE TAKEN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT."
JANSY MELLO: Once again there's a problem in connection to A.Stadlen's lay out of his postings - and the wrong person gets the "fame" (it rhymes with "blame"). That part, addressing you, was written by me, JM. Sometimes I prefer the "Vladimirian" to the "Nabokovian" because, perhaps, there exist as many Vladimirs as there are Nabokovs - and in the context, I intended to distinguish him from his parents. I thought your explorations of the Kalmakov painting was related to Vladimir Nabokov, as if he'd have made literary references to K's "Death" and that sub-aquatic matters in Ada might have been inspired by his parents's painting. I disagree with that assumpation and now I see that it was not your intention.
A.Stadlen's quote about VN description of himself (" far from having been a frivolous firebird, I was a rigid moralist..") is very apt and, as you note, fits into the box labeled "to be taken with a grain of salt." - at least, in part. I believe he was "a moralist kicking sin, cuffing stupidity, ridiculing the vulgar and cruel...." but I agree with you that it's doubtful that he never intended to associate himself, as sirin, to the "firebird" vogue.
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/