Subject
Re: TT-3: more on pencils (fwd) (fwd)
From
Date
Body
------------------ I was stunned by John's marvelous note. I am too naive
and too innocent to read Nabokov.
Akiko Nakata <a-nakata@courante.plala.or.jp>
-----------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2004 11:44 AM
Subject: Re: TT-3: more on pencils (fwd)
> ------------------
> A side note, of some delicatesse which should be skipped by
> those with tender ears or minds, and in a sense continuing
> some thoughts of DBJ arising from scrabble.
>
> Etymologically, the word "pencil" derives from the Latin word
> "penis", meaning.... Thus we do not need to disturb sleeping
> Dr Frau"d, to consider the overtones of this scene where
> after a bit of jogging P... pops up from its drawer (singular
> here). It's color seems to vay from lilac to plum (close
> enough to the mauve of Ada), and the disperal of "atoms" from
> which causes a panic.
>
> While we are on this track, we should note another bit of in-
> formation that may help as we read on, or look back a Ada.
> In French, the word for the tree "pine" is in fact "pin",
> homophonous with French "pain" bread. Back in the middle ages
> a pine cone was "pine": but this got used in slang to mean
> "penis" as early as Roman de la Rose, and greatly in Rabelais,
> whose attractiveness to N needs consideration. In a mood of
> 'personalizing' this appendage, it is jocularly referred to
> as "Christian Pines" whom we shall encounter further on.
> N notes that he no longer used American settings, since he was
> losing touch with Americal slang. He has kept in touch with
> French Argot, however.
>
> Enjoy!
>
> John <j.rea2@insightbb.com>
>
>
>
> > From: Akiko Nakata <a-nakata@courante.plala.or.jp>
> > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > Subject: TT-3
> >
> >
> >
>
> > (4) colors: following the mnemoptical trick in the previous chapter,
this
> > chapter enfolds the delicate variation of shades: "dyed a dingy lilac,"
> > "The bare wood of its tapered end has darkened to plumbeous plum, thus
> > merging in tint with the blunt tip of graphite," "we could trace the
> > complicated fate of the shavings, each mauve on one side and tan on the
> > other when fresh."
> >
>
> > (6) when pencil lead was discovered: An unusually pure deposit of
> > graphite, thought to be a type of lead, was discovered in Borrowdale,
> > England, in 1564. German Swiss naturalist Konrad von Gesner first
> > described how it could be used in a wooden holder for writing in 1565
> > (from Brian Boyd's notes to the LOA edition).
> > The Cumberland Pencil Museum is in Keswick, an old market town near
> > Borrowdale. The history of pencils etc. are on their website
> > (http://www.pencils.co.uk/p_history.asp).
> >
> > (7) we see graphite, ground very fine. . .: Koh-I-Noor Pencil Company
> > published a pamphlet HOW THE PENCIL IS MADE in 1936. A part of it
> > resembles this passage. In fact, VN learned the details of manufacturing
> > pencils from a Montreux stationer (VNAY 577). I am tempted to imagine
> > that the stationer read from the pamphlet to VN. A part of the pamphlet
> > is printed as "Appendix A" to Henry Petroski, THE PENCIL (Knopf, 1992).
> >
> >
> >
> > ---------- End Forwarded Message ----------
> >
> >
> >
> > D. Barton Johnson
> > NABOKV-L
> >
>
>
>
> ---------- End Forwarded Message ----------
>
>
>
> D. Barton Johnson
> NABOKV-L
---------- End Forwarded Message ----------
D. Barton Johnson
NABOKV-L
and too innocent to read Nabokov.
Akiko Nakata <a-nakata@courante.plala.or.jp>
-----------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2004 11:44 AM
Subject: Re: TT-3: more on pencils (fwd)
> ------------------
> A side note, of some delicatesse which should be skipped by
> those with tender ears or minds, and in a sense continuing
> some thoughts of DBJ arising from scrabble.
>
> Etymologically, the word "pencil" derives from the Latin word
> "penis", meaning.... Thus we do not need to disturb sleeping
> Dr Frau"d, to consider the overtones of this scene where
> after a bit of jogging P... pops up from its drawer (singular
> here). It's color seems to vay from lilac to plum (close
> enough to the mauve of Ada), and the disperal of "atoms" from
> which causes a panic.
>
> While we are on this track, we should note another bit of in-
> formation that may help as we read on, or look back a Ada.
> In French, the word for the tree "pine" is in fact "pin",
> homophonous with French "pain" bread. Back in the middle ages
> a pine cone was "pine": but this got used in slang to mean
> "penis" as early as Roman de la Rose, and greatly in Rabelais,
> whose attractiveness to N needs consideration. In a mood of
> 'personalizing' this appendage, it is jocularly referred to
> as "Christian Pines" whom we shall encounter further on.
> N notes that he no longer used American settings, since he was
> losing touch with Americal slang. He has kept in touch with
> French Argot, however.
>
> Enjoy!
>
> John <j.rea2@insightbb.com>
>
>
>
> > From: Akiko Nakata <a-nakata@courante.plala.or.jp>
> > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > Subject: TT-3
> >
> >
> >
>
> > (4) colors: following the mnemoptical trick in the previous chapter,
this
> > chapter enfolds the delicate variation of shades: "dyed a dingy lilac,"
> > "The bare wood of its tapered end has darkened to plumbeous plum, thus
> > merging in tint with the blunt tip of graphite," "we could trace the
> > complicated fate of the shavings, each mauve on one side and tan on the
> > other when fresh."
> >
>
> > (6) when pencil lead was discovered: An unusually pure deposit of
> > graphite, thought to be a type of lead, was discovered in Borrowdale,
> > England, in 1564. German Swiss naturalist Konrad von Gesner first
> > described how it could be used in a wooden holder for writing in 1565
> > (from Brian Boyd's notes to the LOA edition).
> > The Cumberland Pencil Museum is in Keswick, an old market town near
> > Borrowdale. The history of pencils etc. are on their website
> > (http://www.pencils.co.uk/p_history.asp).
> >
> > (7) we see graphite, ground very fine. . .: Koh-I-Noor Pencil Company
> > published a pamphlet HOW THE PENCIL IS MADE in 1936. A part of it
> > resembles this passage. In fact, VN learned the details of manufacturing
> > pencils from a Montreux stationer (VNAY 577). I am tempted to imagine
> > that the stationer read from the pamphlet to VN. A part of the pamphlet
> > is printed as "Appendix A" to Henry Petroski, THE PENCIL (Knopf, 1992).
> >
> >
> >
> > ---------- End Forwarded Message ----------
> >
> >
> >
> > D. Barton Johnson
> > NABOKV-L
> >
>
>
>
> ---------- End Forwarded Message ----------
>
>
>
> D. Barton Johnson
> NABOKV-L
---------- End Forwarded Message ----------
D. Barton Johnson
NABOKV-L