Subject
Re: THOUGHTS: Phanessa/Vanessa, more dark and light
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Matt Roth:I believe I have found the divinity in question--one who has emerged not from the Hades but from the so-called egg of creation. The divinity is Phanes, which means light or light-giver...Some scientists doubt that this was the origin of the genus name, but VN must have seen the connection somewhere and noted it. Phanes would seem to connect to Shade's passage in a number of interesting ways. As noted, Phanes is aka Eros, which seems fitting in this passage, where worshipful Shade celebrates the erotic aspects of his relationship with Sybil. .. But the phrase "dark Vanessa" is also curious, since Phanes was the god of light. I noted before that Shade's parents, Shade & Lukin (whose name means the same thing as Phanes!), are a combination of dark and light, and here Shade seems to cast Sybil in similar opposing terms (dark/light).
Any other ideas?
JM: Last year's postings at Nab-List must carry references to a medical term that indicates evanescent parts of the body, such as hair and fingernails: "Phaneros." If VN was conscious of this link ( all those scarf tissues and nails...) might he have employed the word "diaphanous" somewhere? Perhaps worth checking into. Or it comes up in variations for "epiphany"?
I remember that this subject cropped up after D.B.Johnson brought up a special word and object ( Pale Fire? Lolita?) related to photography, or to objects seen in mirrors and through transparencies. The word escapes me now.
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Any other ideas?
JM: Last year's postings at Nab-List must carry references to a medical term that indicates evanescent parts of the body, such as hair and fingernails: "Phaneros." If VN was conscious of this link ( all those scarf tissues and nails...) might he have employed the word "diaphanous" somewhere? Perhaps worth checking into. Or it comes up in variations for "epiphany"?
I remember that this subject cropped up after D.B.Johnson brought up a special word and object ( Pale Fire? Lolita?) related to photography, or to objects seen in mirrors and through transparencies. The word escapes me now.
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/