Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0005439, Sat, 19 Aug 2000 11:10:20 -0700

Subject
Fw:Query: Nabokov Word Play,
Date
Body
>
> Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 17:47:17 +0100
> From: "Johnny Thomsen" <jthom@post.olivant.fo>
> Subject: Nabokov word play
>
> In Vladimir Nabokov's short story "Oblako, ozero, bashnya", F.
> Tyutchev's famous line "Mysl' izrechennaya est' lozh'" ('"A spoken
> thought is a lie") is quoted as "My sliz. Rechennaya est' lozh'" ("We
> are slime." The latter part of the line does not seem to make any
> sense), i.e. exactly the same sequence, but divided so it gives quite
> different words with a very different meaning.
> What is the technical term for this kind of word play?
>
> J. Thomsen
> jthom@post.olivant.fo
>

>