Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0007219, Wed, 4 Dec 2002 09:27:31 -0800

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Fw: Pale Fire and Jekyll and Hyde
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Pale Fire and Jekyll and Hyde
----- Original Message -----
From: Andrew Brown
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2002 6:56 PM
Subject: Re: Pale Fire and Jekyll and Hyde


Carolyn,

There's no doubt in my mind that Nabokov gives a few bows to Stevenson's J & H in Pale Fire. My thought is that he does it with Botkin/Kinbote. I believe you think it's Shade, and there we disagree.

Best,

AB
----- Original Message -----
From: D. Barton Johnson
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2002 1:49 PM
Subject: Fw: Pale Fire and Jekyll and Hyde



----- Original Message -----
From: Carolyn Kunin
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2002 9:25 AM
Subject: Pale Fire and Jekyll and Hyde


Harry M Geduld, who writes on the history of cinema, edited The Definitive Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde Companion (Garland, 1983) has apparently seen what I have seen in Nabokov's novel:


Stevenson's story also endures as a landmark in the evolution of psychological fiction, anticipating the psychic conflicts of doubles or alternating personalities in such notable works as Dostoevsky's The Devils (1872), Conrad's "The Secret Sharer" (1912), and Nabokov's Pale Fire (1962). Written autotherapeutically in the aftermath of a nightmare, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde immediately popularized the concept of alternating personality years before Freud began publishing his first papers on psychoanalysis.

For police, press and public, Stevenson's tale provided a convenient label-name for any homicidal wolf in sheep's clothing. (from his Introduction, page 3)




Carolyn Kunin

p.s. I think that makes at least three of us.
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