Carolyn,
In C.949 Kinbote analyzes the character of Gradus. In one section, he
imagines a trial (Gradus versus the Crown), during which he says, I suppose
in the voice of the prosecutor, "we may concede, doctor, that our half-man
was also half-mad." This sounds to me more like a commitment hearing than a
trial, and if so it might bolster your theory concerning Shade's
commitment. A bit of his own hearing seeping in?
Matthew Roth
Dear MR,
I re-read this commentary and found it exceedingly rich - - in things that seem significant (tv, lightning) but which I don't understand.
I don't think "Gradus versus the Crown" can be a commitment hearing - - but I'm not sure what it is. Probably an allusion we're not able to recognize.
I began to suspect that the king's palace incarceration was actually Shade's in an asylum, when I noticed that the slippers brought to "the king" were John Shade's. Also the gloved hand of the orderly (the king's valet's valet) was a clue. And isn't the door left slightly ajar? - - hardly revolutionary efficiency!
I also found interesting in this re-reading of c. 949 that the Rare Book Room has no doors. Instead there is a curtained opening. I'm not sure, but this reminds me of the way to Iris Acht's room (and her portrait is hanging on the wall of the king's cell too). It could be part of the references to The Portrait of Dorian Gray but there is more going on here than I understand.
Carolyn