VN takes extraordinary care in creating Humbert's
childhood and background, with that genius characterized by the
infinite ability for taking pains. The blue sea and white sands of the Mirana
Hotel, the kind yet casual father, and the boy's all important affair, a
love that the winged seraphs of heaven coveted her and he, until a
wind blew out of a cloud, chilling and killing the child on Corfu. A small part
of me half suspects that VN took such pains not only to create a garden of
beauty from which a serpent would writhe, but possibly to make it
incontrovertably clear for the questing academics of the future that VN and
Humbert shared absolutely nothing in common. Humbert is a wanderer and an
artiste manque, compiler of a textbook, if I'm not mistaken, of English tales
translated for French readers. Or maybe vice versa. One thing for certain
is that VN does not permit Humbert, or his story, to have any hint of VN's
own background.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 4:42
PM
Subject: Fwd: Question regarding a VN
quote
EDRESPONSE, Appels' ANNOTATED LOLITA. McGraw-Hill: NY, 1970, p.
428, note 276/2.
VN was referring to Humbert's genealogy, rather than the
novel.
-----------------------------------------------
-----
Forwarded message from RAT101@aol.com
-----
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2005 12:13:54
EST
From: RAT101@aol.com
Reply-To: RAT101@aol.com
Subject: Question
regarding a VN quote
To:
Hello, I am
wondering if anyone can help on the following:
There is a quotation
from VN somewhere in which he describes how most of the
allusions in Lolita
are French or English, and not Russian, that he kept
Russians out of
Lolita...
I cannot remember where this is from...i would like to
re-read this exactly
and in its entirety, and know where to find
it.
Thank you in advance,
Alan Chin
New York
----- End
forwarded message -----
Hello, I am wondering if anyone can help on the
following:
There is a quotation from VN somewhere in which he describes
how most of the allusions in Lolita are French or English, and not Russian,
that he kept Russians out of Lolita...
I cannot remember where this is
from...i would like to re-read this exactly and in its entirety, and know
where to find it.
Thank you in advance,
Alan Chin
New
York