Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0010457, Fri, 29 Oct 2004 10:11:54 -0700

Subject
Re: Fwd: Appel corrected re Charlotte Haze
Date
Body
I found the Annotated extremely helpful, especially the mini-essays or
longer passages that Appel appends here and there. I really was annoyed
by the translation of every instance of French, because my French is not
great by any means but he translates many of the simplest French words,
even some that are pretty international. I found myself looking up the
notes to certain French phrases hoping there were be some in-depth
reference, but it was just a simply translation. But, of course, this is
helpful to anyone who has no French. I think you must be pretty advanced
in Nabokov studies to be disappointed by the Annotations? The
Annotations are quite old now. Should they be updated?

Brian Howell


On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 19:23:44 -0700, "Donald B. Johnson"
<chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu> said:
>
>
> ----- Forwarded message from chaiselongue@earthlink.net -----
> Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2004 19:25:47 -0800
> From: Carolyn <chaiselongue@earthlink.net>
> Reply-To: Carolyn <chaiselongue@earthlink.net>
> Subject: Appel corrected re Charlotte Haze
>
>
> Dear Don,
>
> I've been reading Appel's Annotated Lolita. I find it less helpful than I
> had hoped (very helpful if you have no French). Appel allows that wicked
> VN
> to get away with murder (if VN told Appel that he hadn't read a story in
> which a character's name is Lolita, Appel passes this along as the
> truth). I
> am not so sanguine. He also passes over many VNisms that call for some
> explication.
>
> Be all that as it may, there is the small mistake of actresses I would
> like
> to correct. The actress who died in an airplane crash is not Marlene
> Dietrich, but Carole Lombard. (II chapter 8: " 'Somebody told me her
> [Lo's]
> mother was a celebrated actress killed in an airplane accident.' ")
>
> Oh, that reminds me, Charlotte Haze's maiden name turns out to be
> something
> ordinary like Baxter - - sorry, Becker (I ch 19). Nothing celtish about
> that, a lass.
>
> Carolyn
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----

----- End forwarded message -----