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RG: "Baudelaire" for Nabokov is obviously a two-syllable word.
MR: But the author of the poem is John Shade. Kinbote seems to think
that
the question of the "e" is at least worth mentioning, which must mean
that
a pronounced "e" is not out of the question. Indeed, Kinbote's "I am
quite
certain" strikes me as one of those moments when we should be wary of
his
certainty. All that aside, if we do need two syllables for the ---, not
one, the spondee "John Shade" is more likely than "Kinbote," who
wouldn't
fit in the catalog of poets. I like "Kit Smart" too, and I would add
"John
Clare," which would provide a nice chime with Baudelaire. Still, it's
not
clear why Shade wouldn't have wanted to write out the name if it's just
an
historical figure. Kinbote asks the right question: why couldn't Shade
write it out?
Matt