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[NABOKOV-L] [QUERY] Sebastian Knight, Numbers, Nabokov's dozen
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I found various scholarly references to the intervals of twelve in TRLSK, although I mostly registered explicit six-year intermissions, some of which "five or six" and a vague "year 1908 or 1909". Sebastian, himself, was born more or less at the turn of the century, like Shade or Gradus, and many others.
I wonder if this deliberate hesitancy is related to a numerical count starting from a 0-1,1-2,2-3 and the series of natural numbers. As if the characters could never be sure of their "zeroed" origin or a real calendric or astronomical birthdate...
VN's short-stories were selected in batches of thirteen ( "Nabokov's dozen"). Could this "superstition" also express a same "zero or one" quandary? ( if this is a quandary)
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I wonder if this deliberate hesitancy is related to a numerical count starting from a 0-1,1-2,2-3 and the series of natural numbers. As if the characters could never be sure of their "zeroed" origin or a real calendric or astronomical birthdate...
VN's short-stories were selected in batches of thirteen ( "Nabokov's dozen"). Could this "superstition" also express a same "zero or one" quandary? ( if this is a quandary)
......
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/