Dear Sir

Brian Boyd remarks that:

1) "It is a biological, psychological and social fact that looks matter."

- Agreed. Absolutely. And I too am aware of a wealth of supporting empirical evidence. However, I personally doubt that Nabokov's novel was informed by his desire to promote biological, psychological and social facts of any kind. The forum doesn't need me to rehearse Nabokov's views on received opinion, orthodoxies and what Martin Amis in another context once referred to as 'herd rectitude.' Nabokov was not wont to fall to his knees the minute someone invoked psychological orthodoxy.

2) "Romantic love is trite, and death is trite, in Michael
Glynn's terms."

-Misses the point, in my opinion. What is at issue is Nabokov's attitude to 'Shade's' poem. Nabokov treats Shade and 'his' conventional poem ironically in my view. Brian Boyd fails to see how I can hold such a view and be able to evaluate the poem. I do not personally see the poem in the way Brian Boyd does but I quite accept his right to evaluate the poem, indeed I welcome and respect his evaluations, even if I find those evaluations to be off-kilter.

Many thanks

Michael Glynn