I find Alexey’s “dream within a dream” theory interesting in light of adoration expressed by VN towards “dream within a dream” in poem by another Russian writer.

Simple theories and real people are total strangers to anything that lives in VN’s fiction, including dead. Pointed example – Mira Belochkina is so lively while Jo, sorry, Lisa, whatever her last name, is quite dead. In Nabokov sense of the word, of course.

Needless to say, statements and sentiments about finiteness of life have very little to do with the topic at hand.

George Shimanovich

-----Original Message-----
From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum [mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU] On Behalf Of Donald B. Johnson
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2005 10:23 PM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Fwd: Ms Kunin responds to Mr Sklyarenko re ADA

Dear Alexey,

Here is my response to you in the form of a dialogue (your words in blue, mine in green):

There are no "real" people in ADA, or in any other book by Nabokov, with the exception, perhaps, of "Speak, Memory"/Drugie Berega.

I disagree with you. There are no real people, of course, but when you have a narrator or narrators who are delusional, then the author has created a minimum of two "realities" within the novel - - one more delusional than the other. I am only suggesting that there is some simple story behind the whole enormous facade of  Van;s memoirs. Remember that those memoirs only partially coincide with Nabokov's novel (I assume that the family tree and the statement about the Orangers are outside of Van's memoirs, and the "To Vera" of course).


"The Life of Chernyshevsky" of "The Gift" (the novel that you, Carolyn, stubbornly refuse to read

I have never stubbornly refused to read anything. But I refuse to read anything on someone else's timetable - - something  quite different.  Nabokov is of great interest to me, but I do have other work and interests to pursue.


I know that you don't accept my theory, but you can't deny that it is logical, fits the facts and explains nearly everything in the novel

I can and do. What I cannot do is take the time to absorb your theory and devote more time to refuting to it. Life is finite. At least mine is. Of the biblical years allotted I have only fourteen left!


even Prince Ivan Tyomnosiniy, a fabulous ancestor of Van and Ada mentioned at the beginning of the Family Chronicle, is more "real" than "Mr. and Ms. Ronald Oranger"

Even in a novel, the "living" are usually more "real" than the "dead."


Please, Alexey, remember how I stated my idea:  "I would venture to guess that the only "real" people in  Ada are "Violet" and "Oranger". And maybe only one of them."


That's all I am doing - - venturing a guess - -  expressing an intuition, a hunch - - nothing more.  I do not claim to prove it, I do not stake my life on it, or even a hundred dollars.  

Please lighten up, Alexey, life is too short, even yours.

tvoya dobrozhelatel'nitsa,
Carolyn