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Re: [NABOKOV-L] Grand D. du Mont: Santos Dumont?
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In Ada we read that "Marina's friend, the theatrical big shot, Gran D. du Mont (the 'D' also stood for Duke, his mother's maiden name, des hobereaux irlandais, quoi), traveling discreetly on the next Mediterranean Express..."
Dear Jansy,
"Gran D. du Mont" is a puzzle. "Grand Duke" is an owl mentioned in VN's story The Visit to the Museum: "There was, on top of the case, a pair of owls, Eagle Owl and Long-eared, with their French names reading "Grand Duke" and "Middle Duke" if translated." Note that the stuffed Parluggian Owl is mentioned in the same chapter of Ada (1.24). As to "du Mont", it reminds me of Montague, Romeo's family name in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. There are also many Dukes in Shakespeare. A Russian remembers at once Duk, a character in Andzhelo (1833), Pushkin's version (in rhymed Alexandrines) of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure.
Alexey Sklyarenko
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Dear Jansy,
"Gran D. du Mont" is a puzzle. "Grand Duke" is an owl mentioned in VN's story The Visit to the Museum: "There was, on top of the case, a pair of owls, Eagle Owl and Long-eared, with their French names reading "Grand Duke" and "Middle Duke" if translated." Note that the stuffed Parluggian Owl is mentioned in the same chapter of Ada (1.24). As to "du Mont", it reminds me of Montague, Romeo's family name in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. There are also many Dukes in Shakespeare. A Russian remembers at once Duk, a character in Andzhelo (1833), Pushkin's version (in rhymed Alexandrines) of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure.
Alexey Sklyarenko
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/