Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0005783, Wed, 28 Feb 2001 18:49:09 -0800

Subject
Fw: Dar/Ada] (fwd)
Date
Body
Vladimir Mylnikov:


I believe we should read Nabokov's dedications as part of the text
because it focuses the major addressee of the narrator.

In "Dar" it is narrator's mother or more correctly memory of the
narrator's mother.

The epigraph in the book starts with "the oak".

Nabokov's early poem "Liudiam ty skazhesh: nastalo..." (3.5.1920)
also has a dedication to V.N.'s mother and it also has a motif of oak.

Here we have a formula "tree-ground-mother-country". A motif of shoes
which relates to the ground motif ("Dar" chapter One pp.73/75 from
Ardis) and the narrator's expectations of his mother's visit for
the Christmas, I believe supports this formula.

In the chapter 2 ("Dar") the third paragraph starts with "Milaia
moia!" and I believe that the addressee again narrator's mother. It
is obvious from what follows.

In terms of dedications "Dar" stands out from the rest on Nabokov's
oeuvre and has a very strong autobiographical element and very strong
family theme.

"Ada" has the same fundamental themes but has a more developed
structure because Nabokov expanded them and included more
autobiographical material.

In other words, "Dar" includes mostly the Nabokov family and "Ada"
includes practically the whole genealogical tree.