Subject
Fw: Fw: Alex Sklyarenko on Brian Boyd on "Chose" in ADA
From
Date
Body
----- Original Message -----
From: "alex" <sklyarenko@users.mns.ru>
To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, November 03, 2002 11:39 AM
Subject: Re: Fw: Alex Sklyarenko on Brian Boyd on "Chose" in ADA
.
>
> ---------------- Message requiring your approval (132
lines) ------------------
> First of all, I want to stress the fact that our dear Editor has also
> greatly edited my poor article on Loustalot on Zembla. In fact, "A.
> Sklepikov" can be seen as our joint pen name. Although he modestly
> diminishes his part in that pseudonym to -ik- (the diminishing suffix that
> gives a funny and rather absurd aspect to "sklep", crypt, and the whole
> alias contains also my mother's maiden name), he has done so much, as to
be
> viewed a co-author of that only (as yet) published piece of mine. Now to
> "Ada":
>
> Dear Jerry,
>
> Thank you for pointing out that poem. It seems to provide a significant
> connection between the names of the University and the talc powder. I
don't
> know what about Chose, perhaps later we can find some definite evidence
that
> would allow us to link it with Cambridge (the only Russian word that comes
> to mind in connection with Chose - it rhymes with it - is anchous, which
> means anchovy, a fish - I've no idea if it could help), but, for me, only
a
> magician can make the real name of a toilet item to imply a reference to a
> famous book's title so artistically.
> And how apt that that reference is! I think, it must have thoroughly
> enhanced the commercial price of that little thing in terms of the novel,
i.
> e. on Antiterra. Note that it is not perfume here, but a talc powder.
Magda,
> a villainous character in "Camera Obscura" (I don't remember her changed
> name in "Laughter in the Dark"), strews her naked body with the talc
powder
> after she has had a tryst in the bathroom with Gorn, another villain of
the
> novel. Can it be an allusion here?
>
> Quite apart from that, I notice in a dictionary that Chosen is the
Japanese
> name of Korea, and Quelpart ("Quelquepart" in "Lolita") is the former name
> of a Korean Island. Too vague to be a connection, no doubt.
>
> Alexey
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net>
> To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Sent: Saturday, November 02, 2002 8:19 PM
> Subject: Fw: Alex Sklyarenko on Brian Boyd on "Chose" in ADA
>
>
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jerry Friedman" <jerry_friedman@yahoo.com>
> > To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > Sent: Friday, November 01, 2002 2:21 PM
> > Subject: Re: Alex Sklyarenko on Brian Boyd on "Chose" in ADA
> >
> >
> > >
> > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (70
> > lines) ------------------
> > > You might find some support for your theory in Baudelaire's
> > > poem "Correspondances", which contains not only "parfums"
> > > and "choses" in association, but also "echos", which is an
> > > anagram for "chose" (except for the accent aigu on the e).
> > >
> > > If I knew Russian, I'd be thinking about words that look
> > > like CHOSE. But probably people have tried that already.
> > >
> > > I'm going to try asking on Usenet.
> > >
> > > I have to say that no suggestion is going to seem right to
> > > me without some connection to Cambridge or Van. But then I
> > > find a lot of VN's wordplay unsatisfying.
> > >
> > > Jerry Friedman
> > >
> > > --- Donald Johnson <chtodel@cox.net> wrote:
> > > > EDNOTE. Alex Sklyarenko has done an (as yet) unpublished Russian
> > translation of
> > > > ADA. Also, see his charming essay on the Nabokov family fencing and
> > > > boxing coach (w/ photos of his skeleton) on ZEMBLA.
> > > >
> > > > -------- Original Message --------
> > > > Subject: Re: [Fwd: RE: Brian Boyd on "Chose" in ADA]
> > > > Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 17:46:56 +0300
> > > > From: "alex" <sklyarenko@users.mns.ru>
> > > > To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > > > References: <3DC1886B.2010205@cox.net>
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Although my badly formulated hypothesis about Chose/Fleurs du Mal
was
> > > > found to be "most unlikely" and is indeed most probably wrong
(despite
> > > > all evidence that speaks against it, it is not easy for me to give
up
> so
> > > > soon, but I don't feel my English good enough to prove my precarious
> > > > point any longer), I'm delighted in all responses and in the
> possibility
> > > > to learn so many new things concerning this subject. Of course, I
knew
> > > > that chose is the French common word for "thing", but I also
recently
> > > > learned that "kel'k shoz" (back transliteration from Russian) was
> rather
> > > > popular among Russian writers (mainly humorists, from Chekhov to
> > > > Averchenko), who used it (in a character's speech) for veshchitsa (a
> > > > little thing), a word which in certain situations might have sexual
> > > > connotations (contrary to a simple veshch'). Otherwise, "shoz" or
> > > > "kel'k" alone are impossible in Russian. That made me think of
another
> > > > possible "nabokovian" transposition of words:
> > > > qelque chose lost its first component to the name of a talc powder
> > > > (Quelques Fleurs) and the second component became the name of the
> > > > University and the University town (Chose). In the process, both
words
> > > > are capitalized and the adjective becomes plural.
> > > > Chose as University + town is described in expressions borrowed from
> > > > Baudelaire's poem from his book Fleurs du Mal. Fleurs goes to the
> powder
> > > > name. And in the poem there is the word choses in plural that would
> have
> > > > necessitated an adjective also in plural. That adjective (Quelques)
> goes
> > > > to the talc powder name, substituting (as if it were
euphemistically)
> > > > the second component of the book's title (du Mal). Thus, from the
> French
> > > > book title Fleurs du Mal and the French phrase quelque chose we have
> the
> > > > English University name Chose and the not necessarily French talc
> powder
> > > > name Quelques Fleurs (the existence of the real perfume of that name
> is
> > > > a happy - rather for Nabokov than for Nabokovians - coincedence).
Oof,
> > > > not easy!
> > > >
> > > > I have the impression that I'm right this time. Am I wrong? My
> previous
> > > > message should be, please, deleted (I hope it is deleted already).
> > > ...
> > >
> > > Jerry Friedman
> > >
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Do you Yahoo!?
> > > HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now
> > > http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/
>
From: "alex" <sklyarenko@users.mns.ru>
To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, November 03, 2002 11:39 AM
Subject: Re: Fw: Alex Sklyarenko on Brian Boyd on "Chose" in ADA
.
>
> ---------------- Message requiring your approval (132
lines) ------------------
> First of all, I want to stress the fact that our dear Editor has also
> greatly edited my poor article on Loustalot on Zembla. In fact, "A.
> Sklepikov" can be seen as our joint pen name. Although he modestly
> diminishes his part in that pseudonym to -ik- (the diminishing suffix that
> gives a funny and rather absurd aspect to "sklep", crypt, and the whole
> alias contains also my mother's maiden name), he has done so much, as to
be
> viewed a co-author of that only (as yet) published piece of mine. Now to
> "Ada":
>
> Dear Jerry,
>
> Thank you for pointing out that poem. It seems to provide a significant
> connection between the names of the University and the talc powder. I
don't
> know what about Chose, perhaps later we can find some definite evidence
that
> would allow us to link it with Cambridge (the only Russian word that comes
> to mind in connection with Chose - it rhymes with it - is anchous, which
> means anchovy, a fish - I've no idea if it could help), but, for me, only
a
> magician can make the real name of a toilet item to imply a reference to a
> famous book's title so artistically.
> And how apt that that reference is! I think, it must have thoroughly
> enhanced the commercial price of that little thing in terms of the novel,
i.
> e. on Antiterra. Note that it is not perfume here, but a talc powder.
Magda,
> a villainous character in "Camera Obscura" (I don't remember her changed
> name in "Laughter in the Dark"), strews her naked body with the talc
powder
> after she has had a tryst in the bathroom with Gorn, another villain of
the
> novel. Can it be an allusion here?
>
> Quite apart from that, I notice in a dictionary that Chosen is the
Japanese
> name of Korea, and Quelpart ("Quelquepart" in "Lolita") is the former name
> of a Korean Island. Too vague to be a connection, no doubt.
>
> Alexey
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net>
> To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Sent: Saturday, November 02, 2002 8:19 PM
> Subject: Fw: Alex Sklyarenko on Brian Boyd on "Chose" in ADA
>
>
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jerry Friedman" <jerry_friedman@yahoo.com>
> > To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > Sent: Friday, November 01, 2002 2:21 PM
> > Subject: Re: Alex Sklyarenko on Brian Boyd on "Chose" in ADA
> >
> >
> > >
> > > ----------------- Message requiring your approval (70
> > lines) ------------------
> > > You might find some support for your theory in Baudelaire's
> > > poem "Correspondances", which contains not only "parfums"
> > > and "choses" in association, but also "echos", which is an
> > > anagram for "chose" (except for the accent aigu on the e).
> > >
> > > If I knew Russian, I'd be thinking about words that look
> > > like CHOSE. But probably people have tried that already.
> > >
> > > I'm going to try asking on Usenet.
> > >
> > > I have to say that no suggestion is going to seem right to
> > > me without some connection to Cambridge or Van. But then I
> > > find a lot of VN's wordplay unsatisfying.
> > >
> > > Jerry Friedman
> > >
> > > --- Donald Johnson <chtodel@cox.net> wrote:
> > > > EDNOTE. Alex Sklyarenko has done an (as yet) unpublished Russian
> > translation of
> > > > ADA. Also, see his charming essay on the Nabokov family fencing and
> > > > boxing coach (w/ photos of his skeleton) on ZEMBLA.
> > > >
> > > > -------- Original Message --------
> > > > Subject: Re: [Fwd: RE: Brian Boyd on "Chose" in ADA]
> > > > Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 17:46:56 +0300
> > > > From: "alex" <sklyarenko@users.mns.ru>
> > > > To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > > > References: <3DC1886B.2010205@cox.net>
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Although my badly formulated hypothesis about Chose/Fleurs du Mal
was
> > > > found to be "most unlikely" and is indeed most probably wrong
(despite
> > > > all evidence that speaks against it, it is not easy for me to give
up
> so
> > > > soon, but I don't feel my English good enough to prove my precarious
> > > > point any longer), I'm delighted in all responses and in the
> possibility
> > > > to learn so many new things concerning this subject. Of course, I
knew
> > > > that chose is the French common word for "thing", but I also
recently
> > > > learned that "kel'k shoz" (back transliteration from Russian) was
> rather
> > > > popular among Russian writers (mainly humorists, from Chekhov to
> > > > Averchenko), who used it (in a character's speech) for veshchitsa (a
> > > > little thing), a word which in certain situations might have sexual
> > > > connotations (contrary to a simple veshch'). Otherwise, "shoz" or
> > > > "kel'k" alone are impossible in Russian. That made me think of
another
> > > > possible "nabokovian" transposition of words:
> > > > qelque chose lost its first component to the name of a talc powder
> > > > (Quelques Fleurs) and the second component became the name of the
> > > > University and the University town (Chose). In the process, both
words
> > > > are capitalized and the adjective becomes plural.
> > > > Chose as University + town is described in expressions borrowed from
> > > > Baudelaire's poem from his book Fleurs du Mal. Fleurs goes to the
> powder
> > > > name. And in the poem there is the word choses in plural that would
> have
> > > > necessitated an adjective also in plural. That adjective (Quelques)
> goes
> > > > to the talc powder name, substituting (as if it were
euphemistically)
> > > > the second component of the book's title (du Mal). Thus, from the
> French
> > > > book title Fleurs du Mal and the French phrase quelque chose we have
> the
> > > > English University name Chose and the not necessarily French talc
> powder
> > > > name Quelques Fleurs (the existence of the real perfume of that name
> is
> > > > a happy - rather for Nabokov than for Nabokovians - coincedence).
Oof,
> > > > not easy!
> > > >
> > > > I have the impression that I'm right this time. Am I wrong? My
> previous
> > > > message should be, please, deleted (I hope it is deleted already).
> > > ...
> > >
> > > Jerry Friedman
> > >
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Do you Yahoo!?
> > > HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now
> > > http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/
>