Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0023229, Tue, 7 Aug 2012 20:53:50 -0700

Subject
J&H/PF reversal
Date
Body
Just letting the old gray cells roam about ad lib -- an interesting
supra-textual reVersal between RLS's Jekyll & Hyde and VN's Pale Fire:

The story of Jekyll and Hyde was engendered by a dream. We know that
Fanny, Mrs RLS, read the story and destroyed it and then asked RLS to
re-write it in a more socially acceptable (i.e. sexually less
explicit) Ver-sion. Which RLS did and thus we have the text of that
most interesting of Scottish novels*.

But that is by the by -- what I am getting at is that there is some
reference to Shade (do I have it right?) attempting to burn the index
cards that make up PF; but am I dreaming? or did VN also attempt to
burn - which one? Lolita? -- and Vera saved "her" from VN's attempted
auto da fe.

Why auto da fe (act of faith), by the way? I have a suggestion. I
believe that Pale Fire is not just Shade's but also Nabokov's sexual
confession. And now that I recall the attempted auto da fe of Lolita,
I suspect VN & Humbert have more in common than one could dare to
suggest while Dmitri was alive.
Carolyn

*Speaking of Scottish novels and Pale Fire, The Confessions of a
Justified Sinner by Hogg is another which plays a role in VN's PF. And
all those Campbells and hoot man, who were the other Scots playing
boring board games? By the way I am to host a direct descendant of the
great Sir Walter himself next week in my home. Her husband and I met
at the convention surrounding the landing of Curiosity (great name) on
Mars that was held in Pasadena on Saturday and Sunday. He told me he
is convinced of the mental superiority of women in general to men in
general and of wives to husbands in particular -- a man after my own
heart, clearly.

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