Carolyn Kunin [to JM's "From your
description, "Lili" (with its hints of pedophilia) would make more sense in
relation to "Lolita"...Perhaps the hidden connection might lead us to Nabokov
himself, and his "puppet show."]Sorry, Jansy. I don't see it. Are you
arguing that Nabokov knew this film, or the story? Or are you arguing that
Gallico was thinking of Lolita? What is the point? Lots of young girls are
abused in lots of ways in lots of literature - - what on earth has it got to do
with Nabokov? And since I'm being peevish, let me take this opportunity to make
a general complaint.... I find distasteful the tendency on this list to see
everything through nabokovian lenses. Shouldn't we also be looking at him in
other, larger contexts? The world, dear ones, is bigger than Nabokov, not the
other way around.
JM: I'm not arguing that Nabokov saw the
film, nor that Gallico thought about "Lolita." I mentioned "Lili" in
passing - on my way somewhere else as usual - and it was you who picked the
subject up and expanded it, with information about the House of the
Seven Dolls and Deutsch's connection to psychoanalysis.
I kind of liked the model (from "Lili") with its many
"Worlds in Regression", a kind of "crystogram" which unforlds levels
of authorial impersonations, puppets and puppeteers - and I've ordered Deutsch's
"Loving Dr.Johnson" - a book Nabokov certainly hasn't read, to learn more
about "dualism" and splitting procedures.
Contrary to you (who favors
short stimulating 'unrufflers', so...don't be too modest
about "peevishness"), I love to see things through nabokovian lenses.
He offers hundreds of them, like found in insect's eyes - and
I only hope that mine is not a corresponding insect-brain
when I interpret the panorama.