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Fw: reply to George Shimanovich re Pale Fire
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Nick Grundy" <nick@bsad.org>
To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV->
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (26
lines) ------------------
> At 21:24 06/11/02 -0800, George Shimanovich wrote:
> >
> >'Split personality of poor Shade' approach is the least interesting of
> all I've read in this list. It is one of many traps left by Nabokov in his
> texts for people who prefer template (and inherently banal) way of
reading:
> was it split personalities 'school' of Dr Wind that was so popular in
1950's?
>
> I'm not sure it's fair to take Dr Wind's comments - apt and entertaining
> though they are - as sufficient to rule out the idea that Shade and
Kinbote
> (et Al.?) are the same person. To take an example from the horse's mouth,
> as it were, John Shade says in Pale Fire: '[.]there are certain trifles I
> do not forgive.'[.]'Not having to read the required book. Having read it
> like an idiot. Looking in it for symbols; example: "The author uses the
> striking image green leaves because green is the symbol of happiness and
> frustration." (p.126 or so). Despite this, Nabokov's use of colour has
> been fairly widely and is - I hope! - acknowledged.
>
> I'm not convinced by the Shade-is-Kinbote argument - but the evidence is
> compelling and well-presented enough to make it at the very least
> interesting, at least to this weary onlooker. If I can half-backtrack
here
> - perhaps Nabokov did merely leave the suggestions in as a trap for the
> banal but curiously careful reader to pick up on; I don't see that makes
> them less worthy of investigation.
>
> Nick.
>
>
From: "Nick Grundy" <nick@bsad.org>
To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV->
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (26
lines) ------------------
> At 21:24 06/11/02 -0800, George Shimanovich wrote:
> >
> >'Split personality of poor Shade' approach is the least interesting of
> all I've read in this list. It is one of many traps left by Nabokov in his
> texts for people who prefer template (and inherently banal) way of
reading:
> was it split personalities 'school' of Dr Wind that was so popular in
1950's?
>
> I'm not sure it's fair to take Dr Wind's comments - apt and entertaining
> though they are - as sufficient to rule out the idea that Shade and
Kinbote
> (et Al.?) are the same person. To take an example from the horse's mouth,
> as it were, John Shade says in Pale Fire: '[.]there are certain trifles I
> do not forgive.'[.]'Not having to read the required book. Having read it
> like an idiot. Looking in it for symbols; example: "The author uses the
> striking image green leaves because green is the symbol of happiness and
> frustration." (p.126 or so). Despite this, Nabokov's use of colour has
> been fairly widely and is - I hope! - acknowledged.
>
> I'm not convinced by the Shade-is-Kinbote argument - but the evidence is
> compelling and well-presented enough to make it at the very least
> interesting, at least to this weary onlooker. If I can half-backtrack
here
> - perhaps Nabokov did merely leave the suggestions in as a trap for the
> banal but curiously careful reader to pick up on; I don't see that makes
> them less worthy of investigation.
>
> Nick.
>
>