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Fw: Fw: Why Precursors Matter
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EDNOTE. Alexey Sklyarenko (S-P) has translated ADA into Russian and has
contributed many subtle notes on matters Nabokovian. Here he responses to
Chaz Nicol's musings on "predecessors." Nicol is a founding father of the
Nabokov Society.
----- Original Message -----
From: "alex" <sklyarenko@users.mns.ru>
To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (76
lines) ------------------
> Dear Chaz,
>
> "Murder by rowboat" also occurs in Zola's early novel "Therese Raquin"
> (Does VN confuse Balzac with Zola on purpose?). I'm sure someone has
> explored the similarities between Zola's novel and VN's KQK and written on
> the subject in The Nabokovian.
> On the other hand, I suspect that Dreiser, when he wrote An American
> Tradegy, knew the details of the real case: "Delo poruchika Vladimira
> Imshenetskogo" (St-Petersburg, 1885). The counsel for the defence was N.
M.
> Karabchevsky (see his Court Speeches, unfortunately I haven't the book's
> imprints). The lieutenant was found not guilty of murder. Karabchevsky is
> the author of an interesting memoir, Chto glaza moi videli (Berlin, 1921),
> that mentions V. D. Nabokov. "The Great Grombchevsky"
> (Gromnitsky+Karabchevsky) is mentioned in ADA as the uncle of Van's
lawyer,
> Mr Gromwell (2.2).
>
> Alexey
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net>
> To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2004 8:21 PM
> Subject: Fw: Why Precursors Matter
>
>
> > EDNOTE. See at bottom.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Charles Nicol" <ejnicol@isugw.indstate.edu>
> >
> > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (25
> > lines) ------------------
> > > Finding out that someone else has been there before Nabokov is
relevant
> > > for all of us, including Nabokov himself. The Foreword to King,
Queen,
> > > Knave pseudo-worries that Balzac and Dreiser "will accuse me of gross
> > > parody," referring in the Dreiser instance (and in the Balzac one as
> > > well?) to murder by rowboat. Nabokov proclaims his ignorance of his
> > > precursors at the time of the book's composition, yet I think his
> > > statement suggests that he's a bit embarrassed to be found in such
> > > company. I think we should squeeze all the juice we can out of such
> > > information.
> > >
> > > I have rarely looked for accidental similarities, although I have
> > > certainly dug for hidden references to other authors. But I remember
> > > Don pointing out that a robotic mannequin with a leaky pen in one
> > > suitcoat pocket and a tight-nibbed one in the other, again in KQKn
could
> > > also be found in a German novel of the time. This suggested to
him--and
> > > surely he was correct--not plagiarism but the likely actual existence
of
> > > that automaton in an actual store window in Berlin. Similarities may
> > > suggest many other things than plagiarism. Isn't it curious that both
> > > Nabokov's Falter and the protagonist of Nausee, written by his
> > > archenemy-in-passing Sartre and eventually reviewed by VN in English,
> > > are stunned to madness by a glimpse of reality? I wouldn't not know
> > > this for the world. Yet it surely has nothing to do with plagiarism.
> > > Bring on the precursors!
> > >
> > > Chaz
> > ---------------------------------------
> > EDNOTE. Re paragraph I. It is my hazy recollection that Brian Boyd
learned
> > that VN had used Dreiser's "American Tragedy" (1928) as a reading text
> with
> > one of his Berlin students.
> > Paragraph II. The store window mannikin did exist. Dieter Zimmer in his
> > splendid book NABOKOVS BERLIN provides evidence that VN did not borrow
> > maankin image in THE DEFENSE from Leonhard Frank's BRUDER UND SCHWESTER
(a
> > novel of sibling incest) as I had earlier suggested. See pages 140-141.
By
> > the way, Zimmer's lushly illustrated book is a beautiful specimen of the
> > printer's art and well worth buying for the photographs, even if you
know
> > no German.
> > Lastly, in re Sartre's NAUSEA and VN. Chaz's observation is certainly
true
> > but the strongest case of "coincident" themes (glimpse of reality
causing
> > madness) is between Sarte's N and VN story "Terror" (Uzhas). I wrote a
> piece
> > about this in the first issue of NABOKOV STUDIES.
>
>
contributed many subtle notes on matters Nabokovian. Here he responses to
Chaz Nicol's musings on "predecessors." Nicol is a founding father of the
Nabokov Society.
----- Original Message -----
From: "alex" <sklyarenko@users.mns.ru>
To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (76
lines) ------------------
> Dear Chaz,
>
> "Murder by rowboat" also occurs in Zola's early novel "Therese Raquin"
> (Does VN confuse Balzac with Zola on purpose?). I'm sure someone has
> explored the similarities between Zola's novel and VN's KQK and written on
> the subject in The Nabokovian.
> On the other hand, I suspect that Dreiser, when he wrote An American
> Tradegy, knew the details of the real case: "Delo poruchika Vladimira
> Imshenetskogo" (St-Petersburg, 1885). The counsel for the defence was N.
M.
> Karabchevsky (see his Court Speeches, unfortunately I haven't the book's
> imprints). The lieutenant was found not guilty of murder. Karabchevsky is
> the author of an interesting memoir, Chto glaza moi videli (Berlin, 1921),
> that mentions V. D. Nabokov. "The Great Grombchevsky"
> (Gromnitsky+Karabchevsky) is mentioned in ADA as the uncle of Van's
lawyer,
> Mr Gromwell (2.2).
>
> Alexey
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net>
> To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2004 8:21 PM
> Subject: Fw: Why Precursors Matter
>
>
> > EDNOTE. See at bottom.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Charles Nicol" <ejnicol@isugw.indstate.edu>
> >
> > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (25
> > lines) ------------------
> > > Finding out that someone else has been there before Nabokov is
relevant
> > > for all of us, including Nabokov himself. The Foreword to King,
Queen,
> > > Knave pseudo-worries that Balzac and Dreiser "will accuse me of gross
> > > parody," referring in the Dreiser instance (and in the Balzac one as
> > > well?) to murder by rowboat. Nabokov proclaims his ignorance of his
> > > precursors at the time of the book's composition, yet I think his
> > > statement suggests that he's a bit embarrassed to be found in such
> > > company. I think we should squeeze all the juice we can out of such
> > > information.
> > >
> > > I have rarely looked for accidental similarities, although I have
> > > certainly dug for hidden references to other authors. But I remember
> > > Don pointing out that a robotic mannequin with a leaky pen in one
> > > suitcoat pocket and a tight-nibbed one in the other, again in KQKn
could
> > > also be found in a German novel of the time. This suggested to
him--and
> > > surely he was correct--not plagiarism but the likely actual existence
of
> > > that automaton in an actual store window in Berlin. Similarities may
> > > suggest many other things than plagiarism. Isn't it curious that both
> > > Nabokov's Falter and the protagonist of Nausee, written by his
> > > archenemy-in-passing Sartre and eventually reviewed by VN in English,
> > > are stunned to madness by a glimpse of reality? I wouldn't not know
> > > this for the world. Yet it surely has nothing to do with plagiarism.
> > > Bring on the precursors!
> > >
> > > Chaz
> > ---------------------------------------
> > EDNOTE. Re paragraph I. It is my hazy recollection that Brian Boyd
learned
> > that VN had used Dreiser's "American Tragedy" (1928) as a reading text
> with
> > one of his Berlin students.
> > Paragraph II. The store window mannikin did exist. Dieter Zimmer in his
> > splendid book NABOKOVS BERLIN provides evidence that VN did not borrow
> > maankin image in THE DEFENSE from Leonhard Frank's BRUDER UND SCHWESTER
(a
> > novel of sibling incest) as I had earlier suggested. See pages 140-141.
By
> > the way, Zimmer's lushly illustrated book is a beautiful specimen of the
> > printer's art and well worth buying for the photographs, even if you
know
> > no German.
> > Lastly, in re Sartre's NAUSEA and VN. Chaz's observation is certainly
true
> > but the strongest case of "coincident" themes (glimpse of reality
causing
> > madness) is between Sarte's N and VN story "Terror" (Uzhas). I wrote a
> piece
> > about this in the first issue of NABOKOV STUDIES.
>
>