Subject
Re: Nabokov?Freud?Jung (fwd)
Date
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EDITOR'S NOTE. Galya Diment <galya@u.washington.edu>,
author of the note below and many articles on VN, is currently putting the
finishing touches on her book about Marc Szeftel, the Russian emigre
historian and Nabokov colleague, thought by many to be one of the
prototypes for PNIN. The book, entitled PNINIADE: VLADIMIR NABOKOV AND
MARC SZEFTEL,will be published by the University of Wahington Press. AN
excerpt on VN & Szefterl at Cornell will appear in the forthcoming (1966)
issue of NABOKOV STUDIES.
----------------------------------------------- > >
There is a very good article on Nabokov and Freud by
Jenefer Shute in THE GARLAND COMPANION TO VLADIMIR NABOKOV (pp.
412-420). I looked into this issue too at some point, and decided that
N. objected to the reductionist nature of Freud's theories inasmuch as
it can be used to simplify and trivialize human nature. I believe that
he felt similarly about totalitarian regimes and their simplistic,
reductionist ideologies, so his visceral reaction to Freud -- and more
precisely -- numerous Freudians practicing in the early 1950s (Salinger
actually reacted as violently to that phenomenon of American culture as
N. did) does not > surprise me in the least. I do not remember any
significant references to Jung.
Galya Diment
>
author of the note below and many articles on VN, is currently putting the
finishing touches on her book about Marc Szeftel, the Russian emigre
historian and Nabokov colleague, thought by many to be one of the
prototypes for PNIN. The book, entitled PNINIADE: VLADIMIR NABOKOV AND
MARC SZEFTEL,will be published by the University of Wahington Press. AN
excerpt on VN & Szefterl at Cornell will appear in the forthcoming (1966)
issue of NABOKOV STUDIES.
----------------------------------------------- > >
There is a very good article on Nabokov and Freud by
Jenefer Shute in THE GARLAND COMPANION TO VLADIMIR NABOKOV (pp.
412-420). I looked into this issue too at some point, and decided that
N. objected to the reductionist nature of Freud's theories inasmuch as
it can be used to simplify and trivialize human nature. I believe that
he felt similarly about totalitarian regimes and their simplistic,
reductionist ideologies, so his visceral reaction to Freud -- and more
precisely -- numerous Freudians practicing in the early 1950s (Salinger
actually reacted as violently to that phenomenon of American culture as
N. did) does not > surprise me in the least. I do not remember any
significant references to Jung.
Galya Diment
>