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THOUGHTS: Kinbote's homosexuality
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[EDNOTE. I assume that this thread has now reached its end, and suggest that anyone interested in continuing the discussion do so offline. -- SES.]
JM to JA: Could you find VN's words and quotes about Kinbote's suicidal plans and motivations? I remember having read VN state that CK committed suicide, but not that "it was out of self loathing for his homosexuality, as is suggested in the novel and declared absolutely by Nabokov in interviews".
Although you expressed ideas about VN's style, novels and commentaries - and open-minded criticism is always fascinating when well argued in a forum -I cannot debate your views any further since we don't share the same vocabulary nor theoretical tools. As I see it, Kinbote is a fascinating character that is well in the spirit of Pale Fire, nor do I consider that the fantasy of the book is at all wobbly.
J.A.: I don't need to give you the quotation, since he never used the words "out of self-loathing for his homosexuality". He merely said that Kinbote definitely killed himself after finishing the last word of his foreword. I interpreted it the way I did because 1. why else would he kill himself, and 2. I assumed that when Kinbote referred to his "burrowing" in filth and referred to his sinfulness and occasionally raged at God to help him all through out the novel, that all this must derive from self-hatred, at least psychologically, hatred of his urges (I also suspect the homosexuality was also meant to serve the purpose of making Kinbote seem instrinsically less reliable). I agree that we have reached an impasse on the subject and I'll drop it; I admit I can on occasion be a dumbish reader. Here is that quote by the way, on pg. 74 of the Mgraw Hill hardcover edition of Strong Opinions: "I think it is so nice that the day on which Kinbote committed suicide (and he certainly did apfter putting the last touches to his edition of the poem) happens to be both the anniversary of Pushkin's Lyceum and that of 'poor old man Swift''s death, which is news to me..."
Susan Elizabeth Sweeney
Co-Editor, NABOKV-L
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JM to JA: Could you find VN's words and quotes about Kinbote's suicidal plans and motivations? I remember having read VN state that CK committed suicide, but not that "it was out of self loathing for his homosexuality, as is suggested in the novel and declared absolutely by Nabokov in interviews".
Although you expressed ideas about VN's style, novels and commentaries - and open-minded criticism is always fascinating when well argued in a forum -I cannot debate your views any further since we don't share the same vocabulary nor theoretical tools. As I see it, Kinbote is a fascinating character that is well in the spirit of Pale Fire, nor do I consider that the fantasy of the book is at all wobbly.
J.A.: I don't need to give you the quotation, since he never used the words "out of self-loathing for his homosexuality". He merely said that Kinbote definitely killed himself after finishing the last word of his foreword. I interpreted it the way I did because 1. why else would he kill himself, and 2. I assumed that when Kinbote referred to his "burrowing" in filth and referred to his sinfulness and occasionally raged at God to help him all through out the novel, that all this must derive from self-hatred, at least psychologically, hatred of his urges (I also suspect the homosexuality was also meant to serve the purpose of making Kinbote seem instrinsically less reliable). I agree that we have reached an impasse on the subject and I'll drop it; I admit I can on occasion be a dumbish reader. Here is that quote by the way, on pg. 74 of the Mgraw Hill hardcover edition of Strong Opinions: "I think it is so nice that the day on which Kinbote committed suicide (and he certainly did apfter putting the last touches to his edition of the poem) happens to be both the anniversary of Pushkin's Lyceum and that of 'poor old man Swift''s death, which is news to me..."
Susan Elizabeth Sweeney
Co-Editor, NABOKV-L
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/