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Fw: VN Bibliography: Russian
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-----Original Message-----
From: john.rea <john.rea@gateway.net>
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>
>----------------- Message requiring your approval (44
lines) ------------------
>
>
>Donald Barton Johnson wrote:
>>
>> EDITOR's NOTE. Continuing the list of Russian VN publications generously
>> send to NABOKV-L by Svetlana Polsky.... .
>>
>> I would remark that the rapidly growing number of scholarly (and other
>> Nabokov) articles in Russian (and other languages) suggests the hazards
of
>> writing about Nabokov's work without knowing Russian. Brian Boyd's new
>> book on PALE FIRE shows clearly that a firm grasp of things Russian is
>> important even for studying VN's English-language works.
>>
>> --------------------------
>Yes indeed, but this is a) not the only reason, and b)
>not sufficient. With the Pleiade edition and the
>articles in French, one needs French (and German?)
>
>And then in coping with a work like, say Ada, a person
>(like me?) who is innocent of Russian is probably\
>missing much. And I must add here French again.
>Those dealing with N have not done well here, for we
>must remember that he was fluently trilingual from
>childhood.
>
>Those who know Russian may perhaps puzzle over Lolita's
>childhood Pisky, but those who don't know that
>"Ardilion" is French slang for "penis" will miss
>another phallonym; to say nothing of those who don't
>recognize "pine" as the standard French slang for
>"penis" perhaps wonder at all of those "pines" in Ada
>(although perhaps spotting their Tristan association),
>and not have the opportunity to wonder about the
>"pine scented" girls on the picknic, -- presumably
>from that pine scented soap, but then we remember
>that Lucette had that soap between her legs as a
>Van-like phallus. Even Appel missed perfectly
>obvious stuff in French in Lolita.
>
>Someone once said that you don't have to know every- thing to understand
>Joyce, you only need to know
>everything that Joyce new.
>
> John
From: john.rea <john.rea@gateway.net>
.
>
>----------------- Message requiring your approval (44
lines) ------------------
>
>
>Donald Barton Johnson wrote:
>>
>> EDITOR's NOTE. Continuing the list of Russian VN publications generously
>> send to NABOKV-L by Svetlana Polsky.... .
>>
>> I would remark that the rapidly growing number of scholarly (and other
>> Nabokov) articles in Russian (and other languages) suggests the hazards
of
>> writing about Nabokov's work without knowing Russian. Brian Boyd's new
>> book on PALE FIRE shows clearly that a firm grasp of things Russian is
>> important even for studying VN's English-language works.
>>
>> --------------------------
>Yes indeed, but this is a) not the only reason, and b)
>not sufficient. With the Pleiade edition and the
>articles in French, one needs French (and German?)
>
>And then in coping with a work like, say Ada, a person
>(like me?) who is innocent of Russian is probably\
>missing much. And I must add here French again.
>Those dealing with N have not done well here, for we
>must remember that he was fluently trilingual from
>childhood.
>
>Those who know Russian may perhaps puzzle over Lolita's
>childhood Pisky, but those who don't know that
>"Ardilion" is French slang for "penis" will miss
>another phallonym; to say nothing of those who don't
>recognize "pine" as the standard French slang for
>"penis" perhaps wonder at all of those "pines" in Ada
>(although perhaps spotting their Tristan association),
>and not have the opportunity to wonder about the
>"pine scented" girls on the picknic, -- presumably
>from that pine scented soap, but then we remember
>that Lucette had that soap between her legs as a
>Van-like phallus. Even Appel missed perfectly
>obvious stuff in French in Lolita.
>
>Someone once said that you don't have to know every- thing to understand
>Joyce, you only need to know
>everything that Joyce new.
>
> John