EDNOTE: CK's note offers me the opportunity to
point out that every work that has been sent on NABOKV-L from day 1 is available
in its archive. Just go to http://listserv.ucsb.edu/lsv-cgi-bin/wa and
follow the links. Then do a search for whatwever..
I think I can honestly say that although
Pale Fire is 40 years old this year, in all that time no one has argued,
conjectured or supposed that Hazel had a roommate. If I am incorrect on this
rather obvious point, the burden of proof is on the other foot.
I
believe I was the first to call attention to the anomaly of the reference to a
roommate which Hazel, who lives at home, clearly does not have. If others
noticed it before I called attention to it I sincerely hope they
will be willing to come forward and say so. I believe that there are
approximately 800 people on this list, and that some of them are much more
knowledgeable than you or I as to what has been discussed in the literature
on Pale Fire.
It is logical to infer that a student who lives at
home with her parents in her own room without a paying guest does not have a
roommate. If Hazel lives in a world where college students can both live at home
and have roommates, then it was incumbent on the author to give us some evidence
of this.
The reference to a roommate who appears to be Hazel's, is an
anomaly. I infer that the author intended it to be an
anomaly.