Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0007497, Thu, 30 Jan 2003 08:56:22 -0800

Subject
reply to one sceptic from another re Tolstoy photo (fwd)
Date
Body
From: Carolyn Kunin <chaiselongue@earthlink.net>

And the cock would be? Rook? Bishop? This is too coincidental not to be
the answer. There is no "man, horse, cock, man, horse, cock" move in chess
that even this chess idiot can imagine.

Besides this is a joke on the narrator who probably would have recognized
a chess reference if Tolstoy had made one. Remember too, the medium has
asked Tolstoy for proof of earthly habitation, not hobbytation. As an
anti-spiritualist, I have to concede this one.

Carolyn


> From: Michael Maar <michael.maar@snafu.de>
>
> Sorry to be sceptical about the indeed beautiful photograph as a possible
> source
> for the "Vane Sisters". I think the explanation of this Tolstoi-scene is quite
> simple. The first person narrator, who is, as so many within Nabokov, not too
> well aware of all the things going around, does not understand that it is a
> simple chess-board which is alluded to. Tolstoi is playing chess, and that's
> it.
>
> Best wishes,
> Michael

Dear Michael,

And the cock would be? Rook? Bishop? This is too coincidental not to be the
answer. There is no "man, horse, cock, man, horse, cock" move in chess that
even this chess idiot can imagine.

Besides this is a joke on the narrator who probably would have recognized a
chess reference if Tolstoy had made one. Remember too, the medium has asked
Tolstoy for proof of earthly habitation, not hobbytation. As an
anti-spiritualist, I have to concede this one.

Carolyn