Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0015171, Mon, 23 Apr 2007 17:47:12 -0400

Subject
Re: THOUGHTS/QUERY: Zertsalo, V. I. Lukin
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Date
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Dear Sergei,

The idea that there is a "French connection" between Dodsley and Lukin,
via
this "bump in the road," is a good one. I've done some checking, and it
certainly seems that there is a likeness between the comédies
larmoyantes
of de la Chausee and the moralistic comedies of Lukin and Dodsley. On
the
other hand, nobody seems to make a connection between "The Toy-Shop" and

any specific play of de la Chausee. The Wikipedia entry on Dodsley notes

that his play may instead owe something to Thomas Randolph's "The
Conceited
Pedlar." So, in short, I think it is likely that VN noticed that Lukin
was
imitating the TYPE of comedy written by de la Chausee, but didn't know
about the specific imitation of the Dodsley play. Let's give him half-
credit, yes?

Best,
Matt

>Dear Matt,
>
>is it possible that Pierre Claude Nivelle de la
>Chausee imitated (or translated) Robert Dodsley's "The Toy-Shop"?
>Or vice versa? And Lukin knew Nivelle's version?

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