Dear List, Victor Fet and Dmitri,Thank you all for the careful and precise contributions to clarify the problem concerning the positive and negative aspects linked to the Russian word VOLSHEBNIK, translated as "The Enchanter".It would be wonderful if Dmitri provided both the source for his choice and an explanation for his father´s choice, as offered.
After Dmitri´s explanation, though, my original problem surfaced again.
The Brazilian translator Jorio Dauster chose the word "Mago" for "Enchanter" and now I wonder if it would have been possible to use a title like "The Magus" in English, a word that brings immediately to mind "Arthur´s magic wand" as he wielded it in VOLSHEBNIK. This "wand" is not immediately associated with an "enchanter"!VN´s particular choice intrigues me because of the importance this word has for him as a writer who describes the writers as enchanters ( like Nature´s artful deceptiveness that is itself never cruel ).I´m not sure if Nabokov was already in America when he wrote his lectures on Don Quixote.
If he had written them in Russian, would he also have used the word VOLSHEBNIK to speak about mental torture and mystification?Jansy-----Message d'origine-----
De : Nabokov
Envoyé : mercredi, 20. avril 2005 22:51
À : 'D. Barton Johnson'
Objet : TR : RE: Meaning of "Enchanter"
Dear Don, Jansy, et al.,
As a small caboose to Victor Fet's exhaustive elucidation of the
locution "enchanter," let me append something that not everyone may
know. Independently of his use of the term in other contexts, Vladimir
Nabokov specified that the title of the short novel VOLSHEBNIK be
rendered in English not, say, as "sorcerer" or as "magician," but as
"enchanter." I think I can provide both the source for his choice of
"sorcerer" and an explanation.
Best, DN
Subject: Fwd: RE: Meaning of "Enchanter"
Jansy -
No, for native Russian ear, "volshebnik" [or f. "volshebnitsa") can be
both good or evil (just like English "witch").
It is the most "generic" of several existing synonyms.
However: without a good or evil designation it has a definite positive
meaning, and almost no negativity. This probably is due to the adjective
"volshebnyi" has a very strong positive meaning, "marvelous",
"magnificent".
Another, much more rare word, "charodei", has to my ear more of negative
tone ("chary" = enchantment), with the adjective ""zacharovannyi"
("enchanted"). But "charodeika" is rather an metaphoric/ironic word, not
used as a soreceress or enchantress. "Chary" or more common
"ocharovanie" is also often used metaphorically, very often in classical
romantic songs ("Ya vnov' pred toboyu stoyu ocharovan" = Again,
enchanted, I stand before you").
Also a more folksy "koldun" (or [koldunya"], which is rather a "sorcerer
(-ess)", will be mostly evil, practcally a black magician.
In adjectives this meaning is lessened, i.e. enchanted castle will be
"zacharovannyi zamok" which is almost the same as "zakoldovannyi zamok"
or just "volshebnyi zamok".
The ancient word "kudesnik", I think, has not been used since Pushkin;
again, feminine "kudesnitsa" is used metaphorically just as
"charodeika".
Victor Fet
-----Original Message-----
From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
Sent: Wed 4/20/2005 1:34 PM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Fwd: Meaning of "Enchanter"
----- Forwarded message from jansy@aetern.us -----
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 14:57:24 -0300
From: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
Reply-To: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
Subject: Meaning of "Enchanter"
To:
Dear Don ( now in NY ) and List
A special question for those who have already felt misgivings about how
the "enchanters" are seen by VN.
Although I knew that the character in the pre-Lolita story "The
Enchanter" was far from winsome and magical, I always considered the
meaning of "enchanter" as suggestive of positive qualities.
I had in mind, particularly, VN´s own description of the qualities found
in a good writer who had to be, first of all, an enchanter.
Now, while reading VN´s Lectures on Don Quixote I came across the word
"enchanter" used only negatively in association with "mystification and
cruelty". The enchanters were those that practiced and enjoyed torturing
someone, mainly by causing extreme mental pain.
I doubt that VN referred to this kind of "enchantment" when speaking
about the charms of nymphet Lolita ( although she was a deceiver i.e
also an "enchanter" in the second sense of the word ) or even when
describing the play about "The enchanted hunters" or...as the principal
talent in a good writer.
Is there a clear double meaning in the Russian word that may escape the
intuitive first grasp of those that don´t speak Russian?
----- End forwarded message -----
----- End forwarded message -----
----- End forwarded message -----
NB: FORWARD PLEASE, OR JUST ARRANGE POSTING IF POSSIBLE. THANKS, DN-----Message d'origine-----
De : Nabokov [mailto:cangrande@bluewin.ch]
Envoyé : mercredi, 20. avril 2005 22:51
À : 'D. Barton Johnson'
Objet : TR : RE: Meaning of "Enchanter"Dear Don, Jansy, et al.,As a small caboose to Victor Fet's exhaustive elucidation of the locution "enchanter," let me append something that not everyone may know. Independently of his use of the term in other contexts, Vladimir Nabokov specified that the title of the short novel VOLSHEBNIK be rendered in English not, say, as "sorcerer" or as "magician," but as "enchanter." I think I can provide both the source for his choice of "sorcerer" and an explanation.Best, DNSubject: Fwd: RE: Meaning of "Enchanter"
Jansy -
No, for native Russian ear, "volshebnik" [or f. "volshebnitsa") can be both good or evil (just like English "witch").
It is the most "generic" of several existing synonyms.
However: without a good or evil designation it has a definite positive meaning, and almost no negativity. This probably is due to the adjective "volshebnyi" has a very strong positive meaning, "marvelous", "magnificent".
Another, much more rare word, "charodei", has to my ear more of negative tone ("chary" = enchantment), with the adjective ""zacharovannyi" ("enchanted"). But "charodeika" is rather an metaphoric/ironic word, not used as a soreceress or enchantress. "Chary" or more common "ocharovanie" is also often used metaphorically, very often in classical romantic songs ("Ya vnov' pred toboyu stoyu ocharovan" = Again, enchanted, I stand before you").
Also a more folksy "koldun" (or [koldunya"], which is rather a "sorcerer (-ess)", will be mostly evil, practcally a black magician.
In adjectives this meaning is lessened, i.e. enchanted castle will be "zacharovannyi zamok" which is almost the same as "zakoldovannyi zamok" or just "volshebnyi zamok".
The ancient word "kudesnik", I think, has not been used since Pushkin; again, feminine "kudesnitsa" is used metaphorically just as "charodeika".
Victor Fet
-----Original Message-----
From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
Sent: Wed 4/20/2005 1:34 PM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Fwd: Meaning of "Enchanter"
----- Forwarded message from jansy@aetern.us -----
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 14:57:24 -0300
From: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
Reply-To: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
Subject: Meaning of "Enchanter"
To:
Dear Don ( now in NY ) and List
A special question for those who have already felt misgivings about how the "enchanters" are seen by VN.
Although I knew that the character in the pre-Lolita story "The Enchanter" was far from winsome and magical, I always considered the meaning of "enchanter" as suggestive of positive qualities.
I had in mind, particularly, VN´s own description of the qualities found in a good writer who had to be, first of all, an enchanter.
Now, while reading VN´s Lectures on Don Quixote I came across the word "enchanter" used only negatively in association with "mystification and cruelty". The enchanters were those that practiced and enjoyed torturing someone, mainly by causing extreme mental pain.
I doubt that VN referred to this kind of "enchantment" when speaking about the charms of nymphet Lolita ( although she was a deceiver i.e also an "enchanter" in the second sense of the word ) or even when describing the play about "The enchanted hunters" or...as the principal talent in a good writer.
Is there a clear double meaning in the Russian word that may escape the intuitive first grasp of those that don´t speak Russian?
----- End forwarded message -----
----- End forwarded message -----