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Fw: Pnin in Pale Fire
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Phillip Iannarelli" <iann88us@yahoo.com>
To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (66
lines) ------------------
>
>
> I think you touched on something important. I always
> believed that in "Pnin" Pnin and the Narrator are two
> different personalities of Nabokov: Pnin the
> sympathetic Nabokov and the Narrator the more worldly,
> superior, and arrogant Nabokov--of course the more
> superior the Narrator is, the more sympathetic Pnin
> becomes. In Pale Fire it's the same thing but in a
> more advanced complex way. Shade and Kinbote are two
> aspects of VN's own self struggling with each other.
> Most of VN's books are one character novels: himself,
> which becomes tedious at times.
> --- "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net> wrote:
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Robert Rabiee" <costanza2000@yahoo.com>
> > >
> > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval
> > (28
> > lines) ------------------
> > > Dear list,
> > >
> > > Perhaps one answer can come from our understanding
> > of
> > > Pnin's "Vladimir Nabokov" -- the most seemingly
> > > reliable of our various unreliably Nabakovian
> > > narrators. Perhaps VN/VNt (t for text) are
> > > intentionally attempting to paint a more
> > compassionate
> > > picture of poor Timofey; remember that VNt takes
> > many
> > > liberties in his filling in of Pnin's personal
> > > history, and even Pnin denies a tangible
> > connection
> > > between the two. Of course, I don't necessarily
> > > believe this -- I should like to think that Pnin
> > is
> > > every bit as sweet as we are led to believe -- but
> > it
> > > is a possible explanation. Our understanding of
> > > Kinbote, however, leads us to lean towards his
> > being
> > > wholly unreliable. This, as many have said, seems
> > to
> > > be the most obvious (and correct) interpretation.
> > But
> > > remember, also, that Kinbote may indeed be Shade
> > > himself...so what does this say about Shade? Is
> > Shade
> > > another VNt, working against Pnin instead of for
> > him?
> > >
> > > Oi. Alright, just a few (fairly obvious) ideas.
> > That's
> > > about as much I can decipher.
> > >
> > > Best regards,
> > >
> > >
> > > Robert Y. Rabiee
>
>
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From: "Phillip Iannarelli" <iann88us@yahoo.com>
To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (66
lines) ------------------
>
>
> I think you touched on something important. I always
> believed that in "Pnin" Pnin and the Narrator are two
> different personalities of Nabokov: Pnin the
> sympathetic Nabokov and the Narrator the more worldly,
> superior, and arrogant Nabokov--of course the more
> superior the Narrator is, the more sympathetic Pnin
> becomes. In Pale Fire it's the same thing but in a
> more advanced complex way. Shade and Kinbote are two
> aspects of VN's own self struggling with each other.
> Most of VN's books are one character novels: himself,
> which becomes tedious at times.
> --- "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net> wrote:
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Robert Rabiee" <costanza2000@yahoo.com>
> > >
> > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval
> > (28
> > lines) ------------------
> > > Dear list,
> > >
> > > Perhaps one answer can come from our understanding
> > of
> > > Pnin's "Vladimir Nabokov" -- the most seemingly
> > > reliable of our various unreliably Nabakovian
> > > narrators. Perhaps VN/VNt (t for text) are
> > > intentionally attempting to paint a more
> > compassionate
> > > picture of poor Timofey; remember that VNt takes
> > many
> > > liberties in his filling in of Pnin's personal
> > > history, and even Pnin denies a tangible
> > connection
> > > between the two. Of course, I don't necessarily
> > > believe this -- I should like to think that Pnin
> > is
> > > every bit as sweet as we are led to believe -- but
> > it
> > > is a possible explanation. Our understanding of
> > > Kinbote, however, leads us to lean towards his
> > being
> > > wholly unreliable. This, as many have said, seems
> > to
> > > be the most obvious (and correct) interpretation.
> > But
> > > remember, also, that Kinbote may indeed be Shade
> > > himself...so what does this say about Shade? Is
> > Shade
> > > another VNt, working against Pnin instead of for
> > him?
> > >
> > > Oi. Alright, just a few (fairly obvious) ideas.
> > That's
> > > about as much I can decipher.
> > >
> > > Best regards,
> > >
> > >
> > > Robert Y. Rabiee
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
> http://mailplus.yahoo.com