I found various scholarly references to the intervals of
twelve in TRLSK, although I mostly registered
explicit six-year intermissions, some of which "five or six" and
a vague "year 1908 or 1909". Sebastian, himself, was born more or
less at the turn of the century, like Shade or Gradus, and many
others.
I wonder if this deliberate hesitancy is related to a
numerical count starting from a 0-1,1-2,2-3 and the series of natural
numbers. As if the characters could never be sure of their "zeroed" origin
or a real calendric or astronomical birthdate...
VN's
short-stories were selected in batches of thirteen ( "Nabokov's
dozen"). Could this "superstition" also express a same "zero or one"
quandary? ( if this is a quandary)
......