1. What do you think about those portions of the text which seem to unite
Kinbote and Shade's narratives? Four examples: Shade's "not text, but
texture" epiphany, which seems a better description of VN's PF than Shade's
poem alone; the coincidence of the black boy pushing the clockwork
wheelbarrow and the black gardener (we learn from Kinbote) pushing the
wheelbarrow just before Shade's death; "Man's life as commentary to
abstruse / Unfinished poem"; Zembla's appearance (via Pope, we assume) in
Shade's poem and Kinbote's Zembla fantasy. Are these all just incredible
coincidences? Dramatic irony? VN, outside the real world of the novel,
dropping meta clues?

2. One compelling argument by nonintegrationists is that when we collapse
Kinbote and Shade's characters into one, we lose our enjoyment of the
interplay b/w Kinbote and Shade. That being so, do nonintegrationists also
find all the scenes with (imaginary)Gradus--many of which are very detailed
and action-oriented--unsatisfying? Less satisfying?

All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by both co-editors.