Subject
Query re LO: Shadowgraphs & Rengenovskie snimki (fwd)
Date
Body
EDITOR's NOTE. See Brian Gross <briang@dingo.sr.hp.com>'s reply below the
Salazkin query.
> From: SALAZKIN@MINNIE.HOLLINS.EDU
>
> I guess this question can be directed to A. Dolinin more so
> than anyone else, but if someone has any ideas, please, help
> me out:
>
> In LOLITA, when HH asks her what they did in Camp Q, Lolita tells
> him that they made shadowgraphs (p.114 of the Annotated ed.),
> and later this motif is repeated in the second part, when HH
> is on his way to kill Quilty. Now, I think I understand the
> shadow imagery in relation to Lolita, so I was very surprized
> to see that in his Russian translation of it, Nabokov translates
> "shadowgraphs" as "rengenovskie snimki" - X Rays. Does anyone
> know why he does it? It seems to change the nature of the
> imagery quite significantly. I thought that by shadowgraphs
> we meant something like the theatre of the shadows, casting
> shadows on the walls that look like animals, or something like
> that. So, did Lolita have her X Rays taken in Camp Q? Or could
> it be that "rengenovskie snimki" here actually means something
> other than that? And why?
>
> Thank you!
>
> Maria Salazkina
> salazkin@diana.hollins.edu
>
A shadowgraph is something that comes from setting a leaf or
other object on paper in strong sunlight. The paper is faded
by the sunlight and the image of the object is left on the
paper. That image looks like an X-Ray image. Ask any
kid who likes arts and crafts.
I can't believe the Camp Q staff would have gone to the trouble
of trundling an X-Ray machine to the woods for the kids to play
with. The image is amusing, however: "_I_ get to wear the
lead vest!" "NO, MEEEE!" "Bzzzzzzzzzz" "Bzzzzz" "Bzz Bzz"
"Turn it off!!!".
Perhaps Nabokov's translation from English to Russian preserves
the meaning whereas the translation back does not?
Brian Gross
(briang@sr.hp.com)
Salazkin query.
> From: SALAZKIN@MINNIE.HOLLINS.EDU
>
> I guess this question can be directed to A. Dolinin more so
> than anyone else, but if someone has any ideas, please, help
> me out:
>
> In LOLITA, when HH asks her what they did in Camp Q, Lolita tells
> him that they made shadowgraphs (p.114 of the Annotated ed.),
> and later this motif is repeated in the second part, when HH
> is on his way to kill Quilty. Now, I think I understand the
> shadow imagery in relation to Lolita, so I was very surprized
> to see that in his Russian translation of it, Nabokov translates
> "shadowgraphs" as "rengenovskie snimki" - X Rays. Does anyone
> know why he does it? It seems to change the nature of the
> imagery quite significantly. I thought that by shadowgraphs
> we meant something like the theatre of the shadows, casting
> shadows on the walls that look like animals, or something like
> that. So, did Lolita have her X Rays taken in Camp Q? Or could
> it be that "rengenovskie snimki" here actually means something
> other than that? And why?
>
> Thank you!
>
> Maria Salazkina
> salazkin@diana.hollins.edu
>
A shadowgraph is something that comes from setting a leaf or
other object on paper in strong sunlight. The paper is faded
by the sunlight and the image of the object is left on the
paper. That image looks like an X-Ray image. Ask any
kid who likes arts and crafts.
I can't believe the Camp Q staff would have gone to the trouble
of trundling an X-Ray machine to the woods for the kids to play
with. The image is amusing, however: "_I_ get to wear the
lead vest!" "NO, MEEEE!" "Bzzzzzzzzzz" "Bzzzzz" "Bzz Bzz"
"Turn it off!!!".
Perhaps Nabokov's translation from English to Russian preserves
the meaning whereas the translation back does not?
Brian Gross
(briang@sr.hp.com)