Partenocissus is a Latin name
for creepers -- ivies of grape family (Vitaceae), of Asian
and North American origin.
In Russian it is called "devichii vinograd" (maiden's
grape), which is of course a connection both to maidens (or virginity) and
Gradus!
It has been introduced in Russia as decorative ivy since 17th
century, and some species are very cold-tolerant.
Victor
Fet
Dear
Andrew,
I couldn't agree with you
more - although I had not realized that the ' "Oh sure,"
with which Shade accompanies his remark about having words perform like trained
fleas was meant to be deflating' .
Indeed, no writer
has "ability to rule absolutely over language" , inspite of all his
training with rethorical devices and rhyme. Perhaps I was only voicing the
feeling that Nabokov has the ability to turn ME into a circus flea when
I consider his stelar words.
Take "Parthenocissus", for example, the name of the
Main Hall at Wordsmith, later named after Shade ( or so Kinbote tells us).
A first reading sugested something related to virgin birth and Narcissus.
Then I decided to check if "cissus" had any relation to what in Latin is
"cindere" ( or something similiar to this), that means " to split",
"bissect". It would be just wonderful if right at the begining of
Kinbote's comments he were to mention two or even a tripartite character.
Then I found out that "cissus" comes from the Greek "kissos" and means...
ivy!
Now I can imagine that Shade Hall has ivy-covered
walls surrounding "virginal scholars". But the ivy is also used to
represent a reference to a kind of "spiral" ( like the helicoid steps we
find leading to the library turret ) and gets novel exciting meanings
in maths that I'm unable to follow.
How about that for a performing flea,
though?
Jansy
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