Subject
Re: morzh. Karamzin's "Poor Liza" VN's Lucette
From
Date
Body
I have to admit that the non-phallic solution offered by Alexander Dolinin
is most probably right. Karamzin is the author of "Poor Liza." It is his
most famous novella that tells the sad story of a girl who drowns herself
because she was left by her lover. In one of my future Nabokovian "essays,"
I hope to prove that there is a complicated connection between Karamzin's
poor Liza and Lucette, as well as between the chapter of Karamzin's "Letters
of a Russian Traveller" that is dedicated to Lyon and the L disaster in ADA.
And I think somebody (our Editor?) has already pointed out the incest motifs
in Karamzin's novella "The Island of Bornholm."
I hope nobody is much too disappointed to learn more about the anatomy of
walruses and Russian foul language.
Alexey
---------------------------------------
EDNOTE. The "Bednaya Liza"/Lucette thought is interesting, albeit with the
Nabokovian twist that Lucette drowns herself because the guy WON"T go bed with
her.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Monday, December 06, 2004 3:57 AM
Subject: Re: Fw: RE: morzh. ADA Scholarship Marches On!
>
> With all due respect to the ingenuity of comments on Ada's Russian pun, I
> would like to suggest a non-phallic interpretation of "Morzhey." Alexey
is
> right when he says that in Russian only the adjective "morzhovyi" can be
> used as a part of an obscene phrase in combination with "khui," "kher" or
> "khren" (see Roman Jakobson's early article "On Realism in Art" in which
he
> discusses the epithets "morzhovyi" and "gollandksii" in Russian phallic
> expletives). When Ada punningly reads the French toponym Morges (a town on
> Lake Geneva specifically mentioned in Karamzin's "Letters of a Russian
> Traveller") as the plural of Russian "morzh" (+es) and uses it in a
> genitive case ("Morzhey"), it brings about a phonetic shift and hence
> creates a French anagram of "J'ai mort" (usually followed by "de rire")--a
> succinct message from Lucette.
>
> Alexander Dolinin
>
>
>
> At 08:32 AM 12/5/04 -0800, you wrote:
> >Dear Brian,
> >
> >I don't remember having seen kh. m. in the Kunstkammer (anyway, it was
long
> >time ago that I last visited it), but I know that the poet Igor' Guberman
> >has one at his house. I saw him demonstrating it to the interviewer in a
TV
> >program. If I remember correctly, it (the thin straight bone resembling a
> >school teacher's pointer) was about 80 cm long.
> >
> >A Russian's first jump after "morzh" would be not what you think, but a
> >person who bathes in winter. The people, who enjoy bathing in ice-holes
in
> >the Neva, or in other frozen rivers or lakes, are called "morzhi."
> >But I do not question in the least your Morzhey connection with Lucette.
As
> >to the Usrsus dialogue and its possible echoes in Lucette's message, I
think
> >it's the case when "the size is important."
> >
> >Alexey
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> > > > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > > > Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2004 5:53 AM
> > > > Subject: Fwd: RE: morzh
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > Dear Alexey,
> > > > >
> > > > > Quite right, in my haste I was short-circuiting "khuy morzhovyi"
and
> > > > "morzh"
> > > > > itself. But that doesn't affect the connection with Lucette, since
in
> >a
> > > > > verbal association a Russian's likely first jump after "morzh"
will
> > > > usually
> > > > > be to "khuy." I don't think the Ursus passage makes that any
stronger.
> > > But
> > > > > as a matter of interest, just how big is the "khuy morzhovyi" in
> >Peter's
> > > > > Kunstkammer, or in the wild?
> > > > >
> > > > > Brian Boyd
> > > > >
> > > > > EDNOTE. In the interest of scolarship, I went over to Peter's
> > > Kunstkammer
> > > > last
> > > > > time I was in S-Pb. It was, alas, its vykhodnoi den' so I failed
to
> >see
> > > > the
> > > > > museum's most famous exhibit.
> > > > >
> > > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > > From: Donald B. Johnson [mailto:chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu]
> > > > > Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2004 1:05 PM
> > > > > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > > > > Subject: Fw: morzh
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Dear Brian,
> > > > >
> > > > > I doubt that "morzh" can mean "cock" or "prick" in Russian. At
least
> > > not
> > > > in
> > > > > the modern Russian. But it can be used with the famous Russian
> > > > three-letter
> > > > > word for cock as an epithet, "morzhovyi" (of walrus). The whole
phrase
> > > ("X
> > > > > > morzhovyi") is generally used as an obuse. But, if we disregard
> >this,
> > > > > > the genital organ of a walrus is pretty long, and you remember
the
> > > > > > following dialogue between Lucette and Van in part 2, chapter 8:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > "...it looked to me at least eight inches long -"
> > > > > > "Seven and a half" murmured modest Van, whose hearing the music
> > > > impaired.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Lucette, who is obsessed with sex, means Van's scar, not his
penis
> > > > > > ("the ladder, not the lad") this time, but he is too drunk to
> > > understand
> > > > > that.
> > > > > > Lucette, in her turn, is probably aware (although she is even
more
> > > > > > drunk
> > > > > than Van) of the fact that Van misunderstands
> > > > > > her, and she knows why he
> > > > > > misunderstands her (because she had seen him making love to Ada
in a
> > > > > > previous chapter). So, "Morzhey" could indeed be a message from
> > > > > > Lucette,
> > > > > but
> > > > > > via "morzhovyi".
> > > > > >
> > > > > best,
> > > > > Alexey
> > > > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > > From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> > > > > > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > > > > > Sent: Saturday, December 04, 2004 9:03 PM
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > ---
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Dear Jansy, (Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>)
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Yes, but "twin cock crosses" is a very accurate description of
> > > > > > > old-style faucets (W2: cock, 6a: A faucet, tap, or valve or
the
> >like
> > > > > > > for starting, stopping or regulating flow); it foes not
literally
> > > > > > > refer to a penis. At
> > > > > > the
> > > > > > > same time, of course, Ada's other grip catches at Van's valve.
And
> > > > > > > the
> > > > > > twin
> > > > > > > cock crosses also bring to mind the watery twins Marina and
Aqua
> > > > > > > (who
> > > > > has
> > > > > > a
> > > > > > > problem with tapwater), and their foreshadowing of Ada and
> >Lucette,
> > > > > > > who bursts into the room in the same sentence, just after
Van's
> > > > orgasm.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Nabokov keeps "penis" out of his text, as Jeff observes, yet
one
> >of
> > > > > > > the
> > > > > > key
> > > > > > > moments of the novel is Ada's decision to return to Van at
Mont
> > > > > > > Roux, in
> > > > > > > 1922: "'I told him to turn,' she said, 'somewhere near Morzhey
> > > > ('morses'
> > > > > > or
> > > > > > > 'walruses,' a Russian pun on 'Morges'--maybe a mermaid's
> >message)."
> > > > > > "Morzh"
> > > > > > > in this sense is vulgar Russian for "cock" or "prick," and as
"the
> > > > > > mermaid's
> > > > > > > message" indicates (Lucette has been explicitly called a
mermaid
> > > > > > > shortly before), and the Ophelia-like punning on private parts
> >also
> > > > > > > suggests (Lucette puns extensively on clitoris and other
sexual
> > > > > > > terms, especially
> > > > > > in
> > > > > > > III.5, but again Nabokov eschews "clitoris" itself), Ada's
> >decision
> > > > > > > to return to Van seems to have something to do with dead
Lucette.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Viktor Krivulin's poem, Jeff's translation and Jeff's and
Alexey's
> > > > > > > commentary are delightful.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Brian Boyd
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > > > > From: Donald B. Johnson [mailto:chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu]
> > > > > > > Sent: Saturday, December 04, 2004 3:58 PM
> > > > > > > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > > > > > > Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Krivulin poem re Nabokov. Translation
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Dear Jeff,
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > You wrote that although Nabokov was always very precise in his
> > > > > terminology
> > > > > > > "this precision rarely if ever extended to human genital
organs".
> > > > > > > And yet, the examples you offered were all only applicable to
the
> > > > > "penis"
> > > > > > > ...
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > I sellected only one paragraph with VN=B4s euphemisms for the
> > > > > > > female
> > > > > sex
> > > > > > an=
> > > > > > > d
> > > > > > > adjacent parts in "Ada" : "where she strained across the low
tub
> >to
> > > > > turn
> > > > > > on
> > > > > > > both taps and then bent over to insert the bronze chained
plug; it
> > > > > > > got sucked in by itself, however, while he steadied her lovely
> >lyre
> > > > > > > and next moment was at the suede-soft root, was gripped, was
deep
> > > > > > > between the familiar, incomparable, crimson-lined lips. She
caught
> > > > > > > at the twin cock crosses, thus involuntarily increasing the
> > > > > > > sympathetic volume of the
> > > > > > water=
> > > > > > > =B4s
> > > > > > > noise, and Van emitted a long groan of deliverance" ( Penguin
ed,
> > > pag.
> > > > > > 308).
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Anyway, I enjoyed your sentence about "a penis is never simply
a
> > > > > > > penis
> > > > > for
> > > > > > > Nabokov" which nicely contrasts with Freud=B4s: " a cigar
> >sometimes
> > > > > > > is
> > > > > > only =
> > > > > > > a
> > > > > > > cigar".
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > > > From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> > > > > > > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > > > > > > Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 6:07 PM
> > > > > > > Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Krivulin poem re Nabokov. Translation
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > From Jeff Edmunds <jhe2@psulias.psu.edu>:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Thank you Alexey Skylarenko for pointing out the
shortcomings of
> > > > > > > > my translation, especially the major goof in the second
stanza
> > > > > > > > (about which more below).
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > As Alexey notes, "'Mgnove' is a truncated (and nonexisting)
form
> > > > > > > > of 'mgnovenie,' a moment." This form wonderfully embodies
the
> > > > > "fragment"
> > > > > > > > mentioned in the first stanza. Another of the charms of the
> >first
> > > > > > > > stanza
> > > > > > > is
> > > > > > > > the artistry which which the verb "zaselo" (got stuck) is
> > > > > > > > literally stuck in the phrase "v moei golove" (in my head):
"v
> > > > > > > > moei zaselo golove." (Which calls to my mind the masterful
first
> > > > > > > > sentence of Alain Robbe-Grillet's _La jalousie_ [of which
> >Nabokov
> > > > > > > > said in a French interview published in 1959, "C'est le plus
> >beau
> > > > > > > > roman d'amour depuis Proust"], in which the structure
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > of the sentence serves as a textual analog of the image
> >described:
> > > > > > > > "Now
> > > > > > > the
> > > > > > > > shadow of the column--the column which supports the
southwest
> > > > > > > > corner of
> > > > > > > the
> > > > > > > > roof--divides the corresponding corner of the veranda into
two
> > > > > > > > equal
> > > > > > > parts."
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > As for stanza two, I would like to explain one reason why I
> > > > > > > > misread the text as implying that it was Nabokov who
"conceal[s]
> > > > > > > > the genital organ / With metaphysical delight." Nabokov was
> >always
> > > > > > > > precise in his terminology (cf., inter alia, Peter Lubin's
paper
> > > > > > > > in ZEMBLA), but this precision
> > > > > > > rarely
> > > > > > > > if ever extended to human genital organs. So far as I can
> >recall,
> > > > > > > > Nabokov does not once in his published prose or poetry use
the
> > > > > > > > word "penis." (He
> > > > > > > > *does* use the term in one of his letters to Edmund Wilson.
If I
> > > > > > > > recall correctly, he says, in reference to the sex scenes in
one
> > > > > > > > of Wilson's books, that despite their frankness, they are
not
> > > > > > > > arousing, in fact they are about as arousing as "trying to
open
> >a
> > > > > > > > can of tuna
> > > > > with
> > > > > > > one's penis."
> > > > > > > > Incidentally, the delivery of this line by Dmitri Nabokov
> >playing
> > > > > > > > his father during a performance of Terry Quinn's "Dear
Bunny,
> >Dear
> > > > > Volodya,"
> > > > > > > > was, for me, a delightful moment of shared hilarity during
the
> > > > > > > > 1998
> > > > > > > Cornell
> > > > > > > > Nabokov Centenary Festival.)
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Whether the "pryshchushchii persik" (spurting peach) or
"priap"
> > > > > > > > (priapus) in Chapter XIII of Prignlashenie na kazn'
(Invitation
> >to
> > > > > > > > a Beaheading), or the much more famous "scepter of my
passion"
> >in
> > > > > > > > Lolita, a penis is never simply a penis for Nabokov. Few
> >writers,
> > > > > > > > it might be argued, have so artistically concealed "the
genital
> > > > organ"
> > > > > with
> > > > > > > "metaphysical delight."
> > > > > > > > Hence my too-hasty willingness to see Nabokov as the
concealer
> >in
> > > > > > > > stanza two rather than as the explainer of this concealment.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Finally, as I mentioned to Alexey in a personal message
thanking
> > > > > > > > him for his corrections, I was also distracted by the fact
that
> >I
> > > > > > > > had composed a more ribald, even less literal, but rhymed
> >version
> > > > > > > > of the second stanza, not sent to the list, in which I
replaced
> > > > > > > > "genital organ" with "cock" and rendered "polotenchikom" as
> >"with
> > > a
> > > > > sock."
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Again, my apologies to Mr. Krivulin, and now to The Red Hot
> >Chili
> > > > > > > > Peppers as well.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Jeff Edmunds
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > At 10:24 AM 12/2/2004 -0800, you wrote:
> > > > > > > > >----- Forwarded message from sklyarenko@users.mns.ru -----
> > > > > > > > > Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2004 19:36:39 +0300
> > > > > > > > > From: alex <sklyarenko@users.mns.ru>
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >Thank you, Jeff Edmunds, for your translation and for
providing
> >a
> > > > > > > > >link to
> > > > > > > the
> > > > > > > > >complete version of this poem. I found it on a different
web
> >page
> > > > > > > > >(http://www.vavilon.ru/texts/krivulin4.html) where the poem
was
> > > > > > > > >published without the four last lines.
> > > > > > > > >The poem's strange title apparently needs a short
commentary.
> > > > > > > > >"Mgnove" is
> > > > > > > a
> > > > > > > > >truncated (and nonexisting) form of "mgnovenie," a moment,
and
> > > > > > > > >the whole
> > > > > > > title
> > > > > > > > >plays on the first line of Pushkin's famous poem "Ya pomnyu
> > > > > > > > >chudnoe mgnoven'ye"
> > > > > > > > >(I remember a wondrous moment)addressed to Anna Kern (who
was
> >to
> > > > > > > > >become Pushkin's mistress a couple of years after he had
> >written
> > > > > > > > >that
> > > > > > > poem).
> > > > > > > That's
> > > > > > > > >why "mgnove" is compared to a fragment of some antique
statue
> >in
> > > > > > > > >lines
> > > > > > > 3-4.
> > > > > > > > >I think the translation is marvelous, but I would like to
> >correct
> > > > > > > > >one
> > > > > > > little
> > > > > > > > >mistake. The author of the poem doesn't want Nabokov to
conceal
> > > > > > > > >the
> > > > > > > genital
> > > > > > > > >organ (of the statue) with metaphysical delight, he wants
him
> >to
> > > > > > > > >explain why it is concealed. Also, styd i sram (the phrase
> >occurs
> > > > > > > > >in ADA, ch. 38) means simply "shame."
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >Krivulin has also a poem entitled Chetvyortaya Sestra ("The
> > > > > > > > >Fourth
> > > > > > > > >Sister") that
> > > > > > > > >might have been inspired (and might be not) by Chekhov's
> > > > > > > > >well-known play
> > > > > > > "The
> > > > > > > > >Four Sisters" (again, see ADA).
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >Alexey
> > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > > > > > From: Donald B. Johnson
> > > > > > > > > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > > > > > > > > Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 3:36 AM
> > > > > > > > > Subject: Fwd: Re: Krivulin poem re Nabokov. Translation
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > EDNOTE. With thanks to Jeff Edmunds on ZEMBLA's
Birthday.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > From Jeff Edmunds <jhe2@psulias.psu.edu>:
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > The version of this poem that reached me via the list
was
> >both
> > > > > > > > > garbled
> > > > > > > and
> > > > > > > > > truncated, perhaps as a result of the encoding. The
> >apparently
> > > > > > > complete
> > > > > > > > > version is available at
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > http://www.vavilon.ru/texts/prim/krivulin4.html
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > about two-thirds of the way down the page.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Below is an English version, composed hastily and
> >immediately
> > > > > > > > > postprandially. It is whimsical, ugly, unrhymed, and
> >probably
> > > > > > > > > wrong in
> > > > > > > at
> > > > > > > > > least three ways. My apologies to Viktor Krivulin.
> > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Marvelous Moment
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Why did you, marvelous moment,
> > > > > > > > > Get stuck in my head
> > > > > > > > > Like a fragment from the naughty bits
> > > > > > > > > Of some antique statue?
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Let Nabokov explain
> > > > > > > > > The meaning of Russian diffidence and
> > > > > > > > > Shame, and conceal the genital organ
> > > > > > > > > With metaphysical delight
> > > > > > > > > As with a wisp of cloth --
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Why? What for and from whom?
> > > > > > > > > Harmony is deity
> > > > > > > > > On line, connected to us
> > > > > > > > > So that we don't see, but we know,
> > > > > > > > > There is something there, where there is nothing
> > > > > > > > >
> >
> >----- End forwarded message -----
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
----- End forwarded message -----