Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0010666, Mon, 29 Nov 2004 16:13:14 -0800

Subject
Fwd: on BBC: Happy Pale Fire?
Date
Body


----- Forwarded message from chaiselongue@earthlink.net -----
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 10:23:28 -0800
From: Carolyn <chaiselongue@earthlink.net>

I did finally manage to hear the whole play on the BBC. It's "Pale Fire" à
la Robert Frost perhaps although the dramatist's name is Forest.

I thought it worked fairly well, but was flummoxed by gratuitously
incongruous ending. Although Sybil Shade accuses Dr. Kinbote, as she calls
him, of spying and deceit, at the end she comes to an amicable agreement
with him: he may publish his edition of the poem and Professor Hurley may
publish his too. Forsooth - - a happy ending!

The reasoning seems to be:

1) Sybil is to Shade as Charles is to Disa
2) Shade pities Charles (not mad, but sad as remarked at party)
3) Therefore Sybil must take pity on him as well (pity being the password)?

Odd, but not uninteresting.

Carolyn

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