Subject
Fw: more thoughts on the creepy 'Wingstroke'
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EDNOTE. Brian Howell has caught a number of very typical Nabokovian
stylistic elements in "Wingstroke." It would be interesting if someone took
a look at the Russian original especially in re the glinting and sliding
terms.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Howell" <pakmshlter@yahoo.com>
>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (73
lines) ------------------
> Some more thoughts on Nabokov's Wingstroke (1924):
>
> I think it was Dane who mentioned the creepiness of
> Wingstroke, so I gave the story another read and I
> want to write down my thoughts before I forget them,
> though I haven't read such a startling story as this
> in a while. This is all very provisional, but here
> goes.
>
> On a closer reading of Wingstroke, what stands out to
> me are the theme of suicide, the numerous references
> to it, and the symmetry of both Kern's wife's suicide
> and his own intended one (which may be the coda to the
> story, though we do not actually witness him carry it
> out, as Monfiori is so eager to do). Then there is the
> crashing and presumably the death of the angel, its
> twisted wings, rhymed with the death of Isabel in her
> skiing accident.
>
> The other obvious ever-present factor is the numerous
> references to glinting and sparkling. Many of these
> words are repeated (I am not sure if that is so in the
> Russian or whether - no pun intended - it reflects
> Nabokov's immaturity at this time), though there are
> plenty of synonyms. I won't give all the examples, but
> even Isabel is referred to as Kern's 'latest bright
> scrap'. There is also a lot of foreshadowing as in the
> mention of Kern's chest and ribs of light on the
> ceiling of his hotel room from early on in.
>
> My favourite passage - the appearance of the angel in
> Isabel's room apart - is where Kern is trying to fall
> asleep and seems to experience something like
> hypnagogic visions: 'When his eyes closed again,
> silent sparks started to glide [another word that is
> used a lot in the story] in front of him, then
> infinitely unwinding transparent spirals. Isabel's
> snowy eyes and fiery mouth flashed past, then came
> sparks and spirals again.'
>
> There are two very creepy aspects, of course. The
> scene with the angel is quite stunning and it's like
> nothing I've read in N so far. I could not help
> thinking of the monster in Lars van Trier's The
> Kingdom or the monster in the jar in The Asphyx, a
> very scary horror film form the early seventies with
> Christopher Lee.
>
> Then we get Isabel actually saying that see saw the
> angel in the air as she was skiing the previous
> evening and that he came to her in the night.
>
> Monfiori's 'caprine' eyes might imply that he is the
> devil; the fact that he encourages Kern to commit
> suicide and is eager to witness him go through with
> it. We also have references to the hotel that 'blazed'
> in the mountains and 'scalding' snow.
>
> But there are also too many gorgeous images throughout
> the story to list.
>
> Hope this is of interest.
>
> Brian
>
> =====
> http://www.elasticpress.com/sound_of_white_ants.htm
> http://www.tobypress.com/books/dance_geometry.htm
>
> __________________________________
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> New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
> http://photos.yahoo.com/
stylistic elements in "Wingstroke." It would be interesting if someone took
a look at the Russian original especially in re the glinting and sliding
terms.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Howell" <pakmshlter@yahoo.com>
>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (73
lines) ------------------
> Some more thoughts on Nabokov's Wingstroke (1924):
>
> I think it was Dane who mentioned the creepiness of
> Wingstroke, so I gave the story another read and I
> want to write down my thoughts before I forget them,
> though I haven't read such a startling story as this
> in a while. This is all very provisional, but here
> goes.
>
> On a closer reading of Wingstroke, what stands out to
> me are the theme of suicide, the numerous references
> to it, and the symmetry of both Kern's wife's suicide
> and his own intended one (which may be the coda to the
> story, though we do not actually witness him carry it
> out, as Monfiori is so eager to do). Then there is the
> crashing and presumably the death of the angel, its
> twisted wings, rhymed with the death of Isabel in her
> skiing accident.
>
> The other obvious ever-present factor is the numerous
> references to glinting and sparkling. Many of these
> words are repeated (I am not sure if that is so in the
> Russian or whether - no pun intended - it reflects
> Nabokov's immaturity at this time), though there are
> plenty of synonyms. I won't give all the examples, but
> even Isabel is referred to as Kern's 'latest bright
> scrap'. There is also a lot of foreshadowing as in the
> mention of Kern's chest and ribs of light on the
> ceiling of his hotel room from early on in.
>
> My favourite passage - the appearance of the angel in
> Isabel's room apart - is where Kern is trying to fall
> asleep and seems to experience something like
> hypnagogic visions: 'When his eyes closed again,
> silent sparks started to glide [another word that is
> used a lot in the story] in front of him, then
> infinitely unwinding transparent spirals. Isabel's
> snowy eyes and fiery mouth flashed past, then came
> sparks and spirals again.'
>
> There are two very creepy aspects, of course. The
> scene with the angel is quite stunning and it's like
> nothing I've read in N so far. I could not help
> thinking of the monster in Lars van Trier's The
> Kingdom or the monster in the jar in The Asphyx, a
> very scary horror film form the early seventies with
> Christopher Lee.
>
> Then we get Isabel actually saying that see saw the
> angel in the air as she was skiing the previous
> evening and that he came to her in the night.
>
> Monfiori's 'caprine' eyes might imply that he is the
> devil; the fact that he encourages Kern to commit
> suicide and is eager to witness him go through with
> it. We also have references to the hotel that 'blazed'
> in the mountains and 'scalding' snow.
>
> But there are also too many gorgeous images throughout
> the story to list.
>
> Hope this is of interest.
>
> Brian
>
> =====
> http://www.elasticpress.com/sound_of_white_ants.htm
> http://www.tobypress.com/books/dance_geometry.htm
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
> http://photos.yahoo.com/