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I agree with John Morris that Botkin must be an immigrant.
Nabokov called him "a Russian and a madman" in the /Herald
Tribune/ interview, and "V. Botkin" along with Kinbote's
third name "Vseslav" strongly suggests that Botkin's first
name is Vseslav. And Kinbote does seem to know a lot about
the Russian language and about emigre life.
Does anyone know whether Nabokov was ever really in West
Virginia, and if so, where?
It would be interesting if an experience of feeling
"something Russian" came shortly after seeing the name
"Botkin" on a sign--and likewise if the experience
caused the name, seen later, to stand out.
Speaking of West Virginia, the diana and the atlantis are
both found in Pocahontas County and in Webster County,
but nowhere else in W. Va. As these are in a state that VN
connected with "something Russian" (thanks, John), there are
arguments for all four counties: Augusta County is the closest
to the latitude of Palermo, and Highland County is "Virginia's
Switzerland" at comically lower altitudes and has Botkin
Hollow. ("Toothwort Whites" are found in all four.)
It's conceivable, since these are butterflies, that they're
a clue to something interesting. Occurring in the same
county doesn't mean they occur in the same spot, and maybe
if one could find a spot where both occur it would tell us
something. And how would that work--the diana (southern) in
a valley and the atlantis (northern) on a ridge?
However, since Matt conceded the butterflies might have
some importance, I have to concede that Harrisonburg, with
James Madison University, would be the town most /like/ New
Wye.
Finally, unlike John Morris, I suspect the prevalence
of Botkins is relevant. Indeed, I could wonder whether,
if VN found that an old American family with geographical
features named after it was Russian, that planted the seed
of the Russian-America alternate history of /Ada/.
A look at genealogy sites convinces me that not all American
Botkins have Russian ancestry. I'd like to know more about
those Russian-American Botkins. Has anyone e-mailed the author
of that Web site that Matt found? If no one says here or in
e-mail to me that they have, maybe I will.
Jerry Friedman