Actually, it's not strange--Nabokov is just using an old joke that
circulated in that era.

Priscilla


On Nov 21, 2006, at 11:17 PM, William Dane wrote:


<excerpt><fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger> </x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger> Strangely enough, the
band Metallica used the phrase as the title of a DVD in 1998.</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>


<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger> > Date: Tue, 21 Nov
2006 22:39:38 -0500</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> From:
NABOKV-L@HOLYCROSS.EDU</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> Subject: [NABOKV-L]
Cunning Stunts in Transparent Things</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> To:
NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> </x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> I tried to search the
Archives and was surprised to discover that no one</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> seems to have
commented on the spooneristic nature of the title of the</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> play that Hugh and
Julia go to see in Transparent Things (chapter 11),</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> Cunning Stunts. I'm
quite sure though that I was not the first one who</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> noticed it.</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> </x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> Alexey </x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> </x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> Search the archive:
http://listserv.ucsb.edu/archives/nabokv-l.html</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> Contact the Editors:
mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> Visit Zembla:
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>> View Nabokv-L
policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>



<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>Express yourself with
gadgets on Windows Live Spaces
</x-tad-bigger><color><param>0000,0000,EEEE</param><x-tad-bigger>Try
it!</x-tad-bigger></color><x-tad-bigger> </x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><color><param>0000,0000,EEEE</param><x-tad-bigger>Search
the Nabokv-L archive at UCSB</x-tad-bigger></color></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><color><param>0000,0000,EEEE</param><x-tad-bigger>Contact
the Editors</x-tad-bigger></color></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><x-tad-bigger>All private editorial
communications, without exception, are read by both co-editors.</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><color><param>0000,0000,EEEE</param><x-tad-bigger>Visit
Zembla</x-tad-bigger></color></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Tahoma</param><color><param>0000,0000,EEEE</param><x-tad-bigger>View
Nabokv-L Policies</x-tad-bigger></color></fontfamily>


</excerpt><fontfamily><param>Helvetica</param><color><param>0303,0303,0202</param>

</color>Priscilla Meyer

Russian Department

212 Fisk Hall

Wesleyan University

Middletown CT 06459

(860) 685-3127 (work)

(860) 347-0059 (home)

http://pmeyer.web.wesleyan.edu</fontfamily>