Subject
Re ADA queries
From
Date
Body
Dear Brian,
I know little about the class system in Britain and Brazil and have no idea
why Nabokov needed that parenthesis, but I am quite certain that the phrase
"upper-upper class" is a play on the word "srednevysshiy" ("middle-upper",
[mis]translated by A. MacAndrew as "upper-middle," see below) used by
Dostoevsky in the epilogue to "The Adolescent":
"A member of a third generation in a three generation saga of a cultured
upper-middle class family in proper historical setting could be portrayed in
his contemporary aspect only as a rather misanthropic and lonely type and
certainly a sad type to behold."
It is the first sentence of a long passage from Dostoevsky's novel that I
quote in my essay "Traditions of a Russian Family in ADA" (TN, #52). Among
other things, I discuss in it the parallels between ADA and "The Adolescent"
(particularly, its epilogue). In another (not yet published) essay, "The
Details of the L Disaster in ADA," I argue that the banning of electricity
("Lettrocalamity") on Antiterra is also connected to Dostoevsky (if you
want, I can send you my essay, it's in English).
best,
Alexey
----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 6:56 PM
Subject: Fwd: RE: ADA queries
> Dear All,
>
>
>
> I am working on the annotations for I.24, another chapter that turns out
on even
> closer inspection to be full of surprises, as well as of intractable old
teases.
>
>
>
> Can our Brazilian contingent or anyone else explain why (apart from the
> alliteration) Nabokov adds "or Brazilian" to the phrase at 147.03-04:
"among
> upper-upper-class families (in the British or Brazilian sense)." I know
nothing
> about the class system (as Nabokov might have been aware of it) in Brazil.
The
> French translation drops the parenthetical aside.
>
>
>
> Any ideas on the popular novel Ah, cette Line (152.09-10)?
>
>
>
> Any pertinent help will be acknowledged.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Brian Boyd
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
----- End forwarded message -----
I know little about the class system in Britain and Brazil and have no idea
why Nabokov needed that parenthesis, but I am quite certain that the phrase
"upper-upper class" is a play on the word "srednevysshiy" ("middle-upper",
[mis]translated by A. MacAndrew as "upper-middle," see below) used by
Dostoevsky in the epilogue to "The Adolescent":
"A member of a third generation in a three generation saga of a cultured
upper-middle class family in proper historical setting could be portrayed in
his contemporary aspect only as a rather misanthropic and lonely type and
certainly a sad type to behold."
It is the first sentence of a long passage from Dostoevsky's novel that I
quote in my essay "Traditions of a Russian Family in ADA" (TN, #52). Among
other things, I discuss in it the parallels between ADA and "The Adolescent"
(particularly, its epilogue). In another (not yet published) essay, "The
Details of the L Disaster in ADA," I argue that the banning of electricity
("Lettrocalamity") on Antiterra is also connected to Dostoevsky (if you
want, I can send you my essay, it's in English).
best,
Alexey
----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 6:56 PM
Subject: Fwd: RE: ADA queries
> Dear All,
>
>
>
> I am working on the annotations for I.24, another chapter that turns out
on even
> closer inspection to be full of surprises, as well as of intractable old
teases.
>
>
>
> Can our Brazilian contingent or anyone else explain why (apart from the
> alliteration) Nabokov adds "or Brazilian" to the phrase at 147.03-04:
"among
> upper-upper-class families (in the British or Brazilian sense)." I know
nothing
> about the class system (as Nabokov might have been aware of it) in Brazil.
The
> French translation drops the parenthetical aside.
>
>
>
> Any ideas on the popular novel Ah, cette Line (152.09-10)?
>
>
>
> Any pertinent help will be acknowledged.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Brian Boyd
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
----- End forwarded message -----