Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0010460, Fri, 29 Oct 2004 11:36:27 -0700

Subject
Re: Fwd: Appel corrected re Charlotte Haze
Date
Body
----- Forwarded message from gkenny@hfmus.com -----
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 13:54:55 -0400
From: "Kenny, Glenn" <gkenny@hfmus.com>
Reply-To: "Kenny, Glenn" <gkenny@hfmus.com>

I first encountered Appel's Annotated Lo when I was about 22, five years after I
first read Lo unassisted. I have to say my reaction was somewhat akin to Keats'
upon, you know, reading Chapman's Homer. Aside from clarifying and enriching so
much about the novel, its introduction opened up a whole new world of writing to
me, introducing me to Queneau and others who I came to love. So excuse me if I
consider Carolyn Kunin's ostentatious display of upturned nose at Appel's work
to be churlish. Also, her assertion that AA lets VN "get away with murder" is
positively asinine.

Gk

> ----------
> From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
> Reply To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
> Sent: Friday, October 29, 2004 1:11 PM

> Subject: Re: Fwd: Appel corrected re Charlotte Haze
>
> 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 -----
>
>

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