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Fw: Discussion topic For NABOKV-L
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Marianne Cotugno" <mcotugno@moc.edu>
To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2003 3:37 PM
Subject: Re: Discussion topic For NABOKV-L
> This message was originally submitted by mcotugno@MOC.EDU to the NABOKV-L
list
> at LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU. If you simply forward it back to the list, using a
mail
> command that generates "Resent-" fields (ask your local user support or
consult
> the documentation of your mail program if in doubt), it will be
distributed and
> the explanations you are now reading will be removed automatically. If
on the
> other hand you edit the contributions you receive into a digest, you will
have
> to remove this paragraph manually. Finally, you should be able to
contact the
> author of this message by using the normal "reply" function of your
mail
> program.
>
> ---------------- Message requiring your approval (124
lines) ------------------
> Hi Andrew,
> First, I want to say that it was great to read your email, as you touched
> on my own anxieties and struggles over the past several years as I
> initially became interested in Nabokov as an "academic" subject as a
> sophomore at Rutgers and then completed a dissertation on Nabokov at Penn
> State. Nabokov has always intimidated me in the sense that whatever I
> write about him seems woefully inadequate; I can't really convey in an
> article why I love him so much. However, I have found that what I do
> inside a classroom or in office hours with students is another matter.
>
> Second, I am disheartened that anyone would discourage you from pursuing
> Nabokov in as an "academic subject." If you are interested in teaching
at
> the university level, the job market is difficult enough, so I strongly
> urge choosing a subject that will give you pleasure in the process,
because
> the results are uncertain.
>
> If you take pleasure in Nabokov, follow that. One thing Ms. Kunin does not
> mention is that graduate study will allow you to do as she suggests: "Read
> as much as you can in Russian and French literature, and get as good an
> acquaintance as you can with Italian, German, Dutch and Scandanavian
> languages and literatures. A smattering of Greek and Latin..." I don't
> imagine too many non-academic occupations will allow you access to the
> kinds of people with expertise in those areas, nor do I know of too many
> professions that afford you the time such studies require. Graduate
school
> was pure selfish joy for me and gave me the freedom to explore such
diverse
> writers as Nabokov, Wyndham Lewis, Elizabeth Bishop, and Conrad Richter,
as
> well as such topics as chess, technology, consciousness studies, and
> entomology. Avid readers are scholars, so don't give your insecurities
too
> much weight in terms of your ability to excel. Relax a bit!
>
> Please feel free to email me privately if you'd like to talk about
graduate
> studies (I just finished in May 2002) or teaching (I began my first
> position in August 2002).
>
> Sincerely,
> Marianne Cotugno
>
> At 11:49 AM 1/18/2003 -0800, you wrote:
> >EDNOTE. Perhaps some of you out there might have some thoughts about the
> >issues raised by Mr. Fippinger here.
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >
> >FROM: <afippinger@wesleyan.edu>
> > > > This is an email for the Nabokov-L listserv. You will chose,
of
> >course,
> > >> whether or not to post it, but at the very least, I hope that you can
> >advise
> > > > me. I know that this sounds like a cosmic crisis of sorts, but it
has
> > > > managed to blow way out of proportion in my life, and I need
response.
> >I
> > > > am a senior undergraduate at Wesleyan University, a Russian major,
and
> > > > an avid Nabokov reader and student. I have always loved reading
> > > > Nabokov and after eight years, I finally took a course on "Nabokov
and
> > > > Cultural Synthesis" this past semester with Priscilla Meyer, whose
work
> > > > on Pale Fire was ground breaking (and I say that having read hers
and
> > > > Boyd's books along with several articles, not simply because she was
my
> > > > professor). I found that I was very, very confused with Nabokov's
> >novels.
> > > > Lolita, which I have now read four times, in particular I found
> >extremely
> > > > difficult to understand. I don't know whether Nabokov has asked me
to
> > > > read too much into his books, and therefore I assume that most of
his
> > > > writing is over my head, or whether it really is all over my head.
The
> >level
> > > > at which VN requires his readers to read makes me feel as though I
am
> > > > at best an attentive reader, but nothing more. I question whether I
> >have
> > > > any future whatsoever in scholarly literary studies when books such
as
> > > > Despair (which I have also read four times) or Sebastian Knight
(three
> > > > times) continuously throw me for a loop and leave me feeling as
though I
> > > > understand the novel worse than after I had read the backcover for
the
> >first
> > > > time. I love Nabokov, I love his style, his mastery of the language
> > > > (English, of course, and I have also read Otchayanie in Russian),
and
> >his
> > > > deep grasp of subtextual complications and motif placement, but I
still
> > > > feel without reward or at least without comprhension having read and
> > > > "reread," as he would require, most of his books. I have performed
> > > > personal studies of word and theme motifs, I have read scholarly
> > > > literature, I have even tried parodying him myself in order to gain
some
> > > > low level mastery of his work. And yet, I feel as though I haven't
> >gotten
> > > > much further than that low level mastery; I understand his themes
and
> >his
> > > > general biography, of course, but do I really understand his novels
on
> >half
> > > > the level that he would expect? I didn't even receive a great grade
in
> >the
> > > > course after spending hours and hours of time each week reading and
> > > > taking notes. I think I got too bogged down in the reading process
to
> >even
> > > > write halfway decent papers. All I'm asking is: are these common
> > > > symptoms of the young Nabokov reader, is Nabokov possibly just way
> > > > beyond me, have I simplified literature too much to even understand
it
> > > > deeper than the surface level? Is it worth continuing my dream of
going
> >to
> > > > graduate school to study Nabokov and Russian or Comparative
literature
> > > > further, or should I stop here. Of course, you don't know me
personally
> > > > and thus cannot respond to me in particular, but I would like to
know if
> > > > these are common feelings of the young Nabokov scholar, or if I'm
just
> > > > out of my league, which I can appreciate if it is true. I would
also
> >add as a
> > > > side note, that I am a future novelist and my struggles to keep
> >Nabokov's
> > > > influential style out of my work has allowed me to understand his
> > > > influence on me much better. Nevertheless, I don't think that I can
> >read
> > > > Nabokov very well. I only request that you post this message,
because I
> > > > am looking for others who might have felt the same on the way up and
> > > > can offer me some advice. I intend to keep reading Nabokov for the
rest
> > > > of my life, and hopefully I will persevere over these problems. I
am
> >more
> > > > than willing to devote my future academic life to studying Nabokov,
if I
> >can.
> > > > It's just that sometimes I get worried that I'm just not smart
enough.
> > > > There are avid readers, and I am one, but then there are scholars,
and I
> > > > don't know if I ever will be. Please advise.
> > > >
> > > > All the best,
> > > > Andrew L. Fippinger, Wesleyan '03
> > > > (a subscriber, of course, to NABOKV-L)
> > >
>
From: "Marianne Cotugno" <mcotugno@moc.edu>
To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2003 3:37 PM
Subject: Re: Discussion topic For NABOKV-L
> This message was originally submitted by mcotugno@MOC.EDU to the NABOKV-L
list
> at LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU. If you simply forward it back to the list, using a
> command that generates "Resent-" fields (ask your local user support or
consult
> the documentation of your mail program if in doubt), it will be
distributed and
> the explanations you are now reading will be removed automatically. If
on the
> other hand you edit the contributions you receive into a digest, you will
have
> to remove this paragraph manually. Finally, you should be able to
contact the
> author of this message by using the normal "reply" function of your
> program.
>
> ---------------- Message requiring your approval (124
lines) ------------------
> Hi Andrew,
> First, I want to say that it was great to read your email, as you touched
> on my own anxieties and struggles over the past several years as I
> initially became interested in Nabokov as an "academic" subject as a
> sophomore at Rutgers and then completed a dissertation on Nabokov at Penn
> State. Nabokov has always intimidated me in the sense that whatever I
> write about him seems woefully inadequate; I can't really convey in an
> article why I love him so much. However, I have found that what I do
> inside a classroom or in office hours with students is another matter.
>
> Second, I am disheartened that anyone would discourage you from pursuing
> Nabokov in as an "academic subject." If you are interested in teaching
at
> the university level, the job market is difficult enough, so I strongly
> urge choosing a subject that will give you pleasure in the process,
because
> the results are uncertain.
>
> If you take pleasure in Nabokov, follow that. One thing Ms. Kunin does not
> mention is that graduate study will allow you to do as she suggests: "Read
> as much as you can in Russian and French literature, and get as good an
> acquaintance as you can with Italian, German, Dutch and Scandanavian
> languages and literatures. A smattering of Greek and Latin..." I don't
> imagine too many non-academic occupations will allow you access to the
> kinds of people with expertise in those areas, nor do I know of too many
> professions that afford you the time such studies require. Graduate
school
> was pure selfish joy for me and gave me the freedom to explore such
diverse
> writers as Nabokov, Wyndham Lewis, Elizabeth Bishop, and Conrad Richter,
as
> well as such topics as chess, technology, consciousness studies, and
> entomology. Avid readers are scholars, so don't give your insecurities
too
> much weight in terms of your ability to excel. Relax a bit!
>
> Please feel free to email me privately if you'd like to talk about
graduate
> studies (I just finished in May 2002) or teaching (I began my first
> position in August 2002).
>
> Sincerely,
> Marianne Cotugno
>
> At 11:49 AM 1/18/2003 -0800, you wrote:
> >EDNOTE. Perhaps some of you out there might have some thoughts about the
> >issues raised by Mr. Fippinger here.
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >
> >FROM: <afippinger@wesleyan.edu>
> > > > This is an email for the Nabokov-L listserv. You will chose,
of
> >course,
> > >> whether or not to post it, but at the very least, I hope that you can
> >advise
> > > > me. I know that this sounds like a cosmic crisis of sorts, but it
has
> > > > managed to blow way out of proportion in my life, and I need
response.
> >I
> > > > am a senior undergraduate at Wesleyan University, a Russian major,
and
> > > > an avid Nabokov reader and student. I have always loved reading
> > > > Nabokov and after eight years, I finally took a course on "Nabokov
and
> > > > Cultural Synthesis" this past semester with Priscilla Meyer, whose
work
> > > > on Pale Fire was ground breaking (and I say that having read hers
and
> > > > Boyd's books along with several articles, not simply because she was
my
> > > > professor). I found that I was very, very confused with Nabokov's
> >novels.
> > > > Lolita, which I have now read four times, in particular I found
> >extremely
> > > > difficult to understand. I don't know whether Nabokov has asked me
to
> > > > read too much into his books, and therefore I assume that most of
his
> > > > writing is over my head, or whether it really is all over my head.
The
> >level
> > > > at which VN requires his readers to read makes me feel as though I
am
> > > > at best an attentive reader, but nothing more. I question whether I
> >have
> > > > any future whatsoever in scholarly literary studies when books such
as
> > > > Despair (which I have also read four times) or Sebastian Knight
(three
> > > > times) continuously throw me for a loop and leave me feeling as
though I
> > > > understand the novel worse than after I had read the backcover for
the
> >first
> > > > time. I love Nabokov, I love his style, his mastery of the language
> > > > (English, of course, and I have also read Otchayanie in Russian),
and
> >his
> > > > deep grasp of subtextual complications and motif placement, but I
still
> > > > feel without reward or at least without comprhension having read and
> > > > "reread," as he would require, most of his books. I have performed
> > > > personal studies of word and theme motifs, I have read scholarly
> > > > literature, I have even tried parodying him myself in order to gain
some
> > > > low level mastery of his work. And yet, I feel as though I haven't
> >gotten
> > > > much further than that low level mastery; I understand his themes
and
> >his
> > > > general biography, of course, but do I really understand his novels
on
> >half
> > > > the level that he would expect? I didn't even receive a great grade
in
> >the
> > > > course after spending hours and hours of time each week reading and
> > > > taking notes. I think I got too bogged down in the reading process
to
> >even
> > > > write halfway decent papers. All I'm asking is: are these common
> > > > symptoms of the young Nabokov reader, is Nabokov possibly just way
> > > > beyond me, have I simplified literature too much to even understand
it
> > > > deeper than the surface level? Is it worth continuing my dream of
going
> >to
> > > > graduate school to study Nabokov and Russian or Comparative
literature
> > > > further, or should I stop here. Of course, you don't know me
personally
> > > > and thus cannot respond to me in particular, but I would like to
know if
> > > > these are common feelings of the young Nabokov scholar, or if I'm
just
> > > > out of my league, which I can appreciate if it is true. I would
also
> >add as a
> > > > side note, that I am a future novelist and my struggles to keep
> >Nabokov's
> > > > influential style out of my work has allowed me to understand his
> > > > influence on me much better. Nevertheless, I don't think that I can
> >read
> > > > Nabokov very well. I only request that you post this message,
because I
> > > > am looking for others who might have felt the same on the way up and
> > > > can offer me some advice. I intend to keep reading Nabokov for the
rest
> > > > of my life, and hopefully I will persevere over these problems. I
am
> >more
> > > > than willing to devote my future academic life to studying Nabokov,
if I
> >can.
> > > > It's just that sometimes I get worried that I'm just not smart
enough.
> > > > There are avid readers, and I am one, but then there are scholars,
and I
> > > > don't know if I ever will be. Please advise.
> > > >
> > > > All the best,
> > > > Andrew L. Fippinger, Wesleyan '03
> > > > (a subscriber, of course, to NABOKV-L)
> > >
>