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Re: [Sighting] Franzen's Lalitha
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Lalit[h]a (literally, she who plays¹) is an ancient, still revered, line of
Hindu goddesses variously representing divine Womanhood and Female Bliss.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalita_sahasranama
It¹s a plausible-enough, high-self-esteem name for both real and fictional
Hindu women wherever born or dwelling. I mention this because Hinduism is
not confined to present-day India, and ethnic-labels are so confusing,
especially Indian-American and American-Indian! In fact, the US Census
Bureau prefers Asian-Indian American ... But I digress.
Is there a particular reason, beyond coincidental spellings, for finding the
aceno (gesture) to VN? That¹s a long
anachronistic stretch from ancient Lalit[h]a to VN¹s modern Lolita.
The Hindu goddesses are depicted diversely (a pantheon beyond reasonable
Western accounting). Lalit[h]as are seductive, even demonic, but usually
sexually mature: no real connections with VN¹s nymphet, a creature based on
Western cultural views on sexual age-taboos.
If you seek more VN coincidences based on names with L¹s, T¹s and I¹s, we
have the intriguing Lilith!
I quote from the ever-lurking wiki:
The demon Lilith, the evil woman, is described as a beautiful woman, who
transforms into a blue, butterfly-like demon, and it is associated with the
power of seduction.
Say no more!
Stan Kelly-Bootle
On 23/06/2011 17:26, "jansymello" <jansy@AETERN.US> wrote:
> I have no idea if Jonathan Franzen's reference to Nabokov has been mentioned
> in the Nab-List. Here it comes through a translated article written by
> William Deresiewicz. The image of Nabokov didn't appear online and I
> photographed the newspaper. Deresiewicz's reference is very brief, when he
> discusses Liberty and an affair of Walter with his assistant, a young
> Indian-American. called Lalitha.
> O incômodo papel de apontar a ruína/ traduzido por Celso Paciornik
> 28 de maio de 2011, William Deresiewicz - O Estado de S.Paulo
> William Deresiewicz - O Estado de S.Paulo.
> www.estadao.com.br <http://www.estadao.com.br/> Cultura - Em cache
>
> Os leitores de As Correções reconhecerão alguns temas-chave: dinâmica familiar
> e seu impacto em filhos adultos, o Meio-Oeste e o Leste urbano (Walter e Patty
> se mudam para Washington, D. C.; Richard para Jersey City), os infortúnios da
> classe média ascendente; o conflito entre dever e prazer. Franzen continua
> soberbo na exposição da textura psicológica da experiência cotidiana: as
> oscilações da alma, as lutas pelo poder na vida doméstica, as jogadas de
> xadrez do comportamento amoroso. Mas se o terreno, e a mente que o mapeia, são
> aqueles do romance anterior, os contornos são diferentes. As Correções enfoca
> as relações filiais, Liberdade as românticas, incluindo o caso de Walter com
> sua assistente indiano-americana bem jovem (nomeada, com um aceno a Nabokov,
> Lalitha). Em As Correções, contemporâneos (ele nasceu em 1959) ainda estão
> lidando com seus pais. Em Liberdade, eles estão lidando não só uns com os
> outros, mas também com seus próprios filhos adultos.
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Hindu goddesses variously representing divine Womanhood and Female Bliss.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalita_sahasranama
It¹s a plausible-enough, high-self-esteem name for both real and fictional
Hindu women wherever born or dwelling. I mention this because Hinduism is
not confined to present-day India, and ethnic-labels are so confusing,
especially Indian-American and American-Indian! In fact, the US Census
Bureau prefers Asian-Indian American ... But I digress.
Is there a particular reason, beyond coincidental spellings, for finding the
aceno (gesture) to VN? That¹s a long
anachronistic stretch from ancient Lalit[h]a to VN¹s modern Lolita.
The Hindu goddesses are depicted diversely (a pantheon beyond reasonable
Western accounting). Lalit[h]as are seductive, even demonic, but usually
sexually mature: no real connections with VN¹s nymphet, a creature based on
Western cultural views on sexual age-taboos.
If you seek more VN coincidences based on names with L¹s, T¹s and I¹s, we
have the intriguing Lilith!
I quote from the ever-lurking wiki:
The demon Lilith, the evil woman, is described as a beautiful woman, who
transforms into a blue, butterfly-like demon, and it is associated with the
power of seduction.
Say no more!
Stan Kelly-Bootle
On 23/06/2011 17:26, "jansymello" <jansy@AETERN.US> wrote:
> I have no idea if Jonathan Franzen's reference to Nabokov has been mentioned
> in the Nab-List. Here it comes through a translated article written by
> William Deresiewicz. The image of Nabokov didn't appear online and I
> photographed the newspaper. Deresiewicz's reference is very brief, when he
> discusses Liberty and an affair of Walter with his assistant, a young
> Indian-American. called Lalitha.
> O incômodo papel de apontar a ruína/ traduzido por Celso Paciornik
> 28 de maio de 2011, William Deresiewicz - O Estado de S.Paulo
> William Deresiewicz - O Estado de S.Paulo.
> www.estadao.com.br <http://www.estadao.com.br/> Cultura - Em cache
>
> Os leitores de As Correções reconhecerão alguns temas-chave: dinâmica familiar
> e seu impacto em filhos adultos, o Meio-Oeste e o Leste urbano (Walter e Patty
> se mudam para Washington, D. C.; Richard para Jersey City), os infortúnios da
> classe média ascendente; o conflito entre dever e prazer. Franzen continua
> soberbo na exposição da textura psicológica da experiência cotidiana: as
> oscilações da alma, as lutas pelo poder na vida doméstica, as jogadas de
> xadrez do comportamento amoroso. Mas se o terreno, e a mente que o mapeia, são
> aqueles do romance anterior, os contornos são diferentes. As Correções enfoca
> as relações filiais, Liberdade as românticas, incluindo o caso de Walter com
> sua assistente indiano-americana bem jovem (nomeada, com um aceno a Nabokov,
> Lalitha). Em As Correções, contemporâneos (ele nasceu em 1959) ainda estão
> lidando com seus pais. Em Liberdade, eles estão lidando não só uns com os
> outros, mas também com seus próprios filhos adultos.
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/