Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0010001, Fri, 9 Jul 2004 18:09:26 -0700

Subject
Re: TT-2: "the gentleman from Massachussets" (fwd) (fwd)
Date
Body
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You wrote:

>> 1. NB the flurry of parenthetical remarks. Take a close look at them. As
>> for the weird initial parenthesis (whatever else is going on), "Parson"
>> (clergyman) does come from Person, but it seems unlikely that Peterson
>> enters into the matter.

It must be unlikely, else it would have been mentioned, but is there any
Peter in history, in contemporary (with TT) culture, or in VN's novels, who
could particularly be associated with Hugh's father or mother?

>> 3. NB the shoebox from the yawning boot.--a wordplay possible only by
>> continuing the Britishism of the opening "Hullo." Also note that ironic
>> "Fit" on the shoebox.

Yes, but it was on the wrapper, which surprised me. I'd suppose that it
would have been on the box itself.

>> 7. Do you see anything (beyond rich humor) in the law about the
>> destruction of the old hotel registers after the suicide of a former
>> director?

No. I rather expected to hear further about Kronig or the
Fantastic/Majestic or the suicide. If we did, I missed it. Does Kronig's
name suggest anything particular? I like Hugh's not hearing or
understanding the blurry information about him. It surely is humorous and
telling to recognize our gut suspicions about suicide in this "law". It
seems that Kronig might be a bit better at managing a hotel in German
Switzerland than in French Switzerland.

Thanks for all your knowing guidance.

Mary Krimmel

>> 8. The chapter ends with its hilarious survey of the hotel room and
>> the real introduction of the "water theme" forecast by the novice
>> "descendingnupright among the staring fish,"
>> i.e. sinking into the past.
>>
>> D. Barton Johnson
>> NABOKV-L
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> D. Barton Johnson
> NABOKV-L



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D. Barton Johnson
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