Although there has been no response to my proposal
to establish a special literary category based on matters (transcen-)dental, I
would like to propose Zadie Smith's WHITE TEETH for the canon (Amis
& Nabokov). In addition to the title reference, there are chapters
entitled "Teething Troubles," "The Root Canals of Alfred Archibald Jones and
Samad Miah Iqbal," "Molars","The Root Canals of Mangal Pande," "Canines;
The Ripping Teeth" and "The Root Canals of Hortense Bowden." There is also
an excruciatingly funny 5-6 riff on teeth-in-pain.
Although Ms Smith has expressed her admiration of
VN, there are, so far as I noticed, any references to him, apart from
section epigraph heading from LOLITA. I
did, however, find one (and only one) use of Nabokov's play of
alphabetic iconicism. Page 363 contains a long
riff on the expression "to be involved with." The build-up to the final image is
a recapitulation of the novel's complex series of relationships: "[The
characters] walk IN and they get trapped between the revolving doors of those
two V's. Involved. Just a tired inevitable fact........An enormous web you spin
to catch yourself." NB how those Vs join to form
that W of "web."
Ms Smith has written a very funny novel with,
ultimately, a serious theme.
D. Barton
Johnson