Subject
Esmeralda and Her Parandrus in LATH
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Date
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*I*n the list of "Other Books by the Narrator" in LATH, under "In English"
are several easily identifiable reflections of VN titles, with dates.
These are: "See under Real, 1939" (The Real Life of Seb. Knight); then
"Esmeralda and Her Parandrus, 1941"; "Dr. Olga Repnin, 1946" (Pnin); "Exile
from Mayda, 1947" (Pale Fire); "A Kingdom by the Sea, 1962" (Lolita); and
"Ardis, 1970" (Ada).
In terms of the order of composition, "Esmeralda and her Parandrus" should
be "Bend Sinister." I think it is. Esmeralda is the gypsy maiden heroine
of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame;" a "Parandrus" is a mythical beast,
capable of changing the color of its coat. In some ways, the naive but
good-hearted Esmeralda, who comes to a bad end, is like Krug; Paduk is
bestial and changeable.
I am also interested in this book as a reference to Shakespeare's "Troilus
and Cressida." "Parandrus" is very close to "Pandarus" (that's actually
how I read it the first time through!). This possible reading is
strengthened by several other "T and C" references in the novel, and by the
fact that (p. 138) the title is mistaken for "Emerald and the Pander."
Does this reading make sense to other Nabokovians?
--
Sam
Dr. Samuel Schuman
828 258-3621
559 Chunns Cove Rd. Asheville, NC 28805
sschuman@ret.unca.edu
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are several easily identifiable reflections of VN titles, with dates.
These are: "See under Real, 1939" (The Real Life of Seb. Knight); then
"Esmeralda and Her Parandrus, 1941"; "Dr. Olga Repnin, 1946" (Pnin); "Exile
from Mayda, 1947" (Pale Fire); "A Kingdom by the Sea, 1962" (Lolita); and
"Ardis, 1970" (Ada).
In terms of the order of composition, "Esmeralda and her Parandrus" should
be "Bend Sinister." I think it is. Esmeralda is the gypsy maiden heroine
of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame;" a "Parandrus" is a mythical beast,
capable of changing the color of its coat. In some ways, the naive but
good-hearted Esmeralda, who comes to a bad end, is like Krug; Paduk is
bestial and changeable.
I am also interested in this book as a reference to Shakespeare's "Troilus
and Cressida." "Parandrus" is very close to "Pandarus" (that's actually
how I read it the first time through!). This possible reading is
strengthened by several other "T and C" references in the novel, and by the
fact that (p. 138) the title is mistaken for "Emerald and the Pander."
Does this reading make sense to other Nabokovians?
--
Sam
Dr. Samuel Schuman
828 258-3621
559 Chunns Cove Rd. Asheville, NC 28805
sschuman@ret.unca.edu
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/