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Fw: Fw: Ck replies to Jerry Friedman
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Jake Pultorak" <jake.pultorak@oracle.com>
To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2002 7:30 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Ck replies to Jerry Friedman
> It would seem to me that nobody has argued that Hazel had a roommate
because
> there was no need to do so-- Nabokov himself has unequivocally stated so
in the
> very text. In science it is often said that extraordinary claims require
> extraordinary evidence, and the fact that Hazel maintains a room at home
and
> even lives in that room for some time during her college years in no way
> provides evidence that she NEVER lived on campus and had a roommate-- or
> possibly had a roommate on her trip abroad to the chateau.
>
> Having a roommate at any point in time during her college years would
qualify
> the reference "_that_ nice frail roommate". If the line had said "_her_
nice
> frail roommate", that might have implied a current living situation, and
perhaps
> indicated a contradiction. But it did not. Even now, more than a decade
after
> graduation, I still refer to my own college roommates as such-- even ones
that I
> shared quarters with off campus.
>
> In addition, while we recognize that Hazel did live at home for some
portion of
> the time, it should be noted that some colleges and universities have a
policy
> where Freshman MUST live on campus in dormitory housing. Cornell
University,
> the widely recognized progenitor of Wordsmith University, has precisely
such a
> policy. I don't know if that policy was in effect during Nabokov's
tenure, but
> I surmise that Hazel lived on campus her freshman year, and at home
afterwards.
> Furthermore I would suggest that the name of her dormitory was Sorosa
Hall:
>
> " The telephone that rang before a ball
> 330 Every two minutes in Sorosa Hall
> For her would never ring;..."
>
> Not text, but texture. But as with all Nabokov, the clues and
constructions of
> his created worlds are absolutely to be found within the text.
>
> -Jake Pultorak
>
> "D. Barton Johnson" wrote:
>
> > EDNOTE: CK's note offers me the opportunity to point out that every work
that
> > has been sent on NABOKV-L from day 1 is available in its archive. Just
go to
> > http://listserv.ucsb.edu/lsv-cgi-bin/wa and follow the links. Then do a
search
> > for whatwever..
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Carolyn Kunin
> > To: Vladimir Nabokov ForumSent: Thursday, November 21, 2002 8:08
AMSubject: Ck
> > replies to Jerry Friedman
> > Dear Jerry,
> >
> > I think I can honestly say that although Pale Fire is 40 years old this
year,
> > in all that time no one has argued, conjectured or supposed that Hazel
had a
> > roommate. If I am incorrect on this rather obvious point, the burden of
proof
> > is on the other foot.
> >
> > I believe I was the first to call attention to the anomaly of the
reference to
> > a roommate which Hazel, who lives at home, clearly does not have. If
others
> > noticed it before I called attention to it I sincerely hope they will
be
> > willing to come forward and say so. I believe that there are
approximately 800
> > people on this list, and that some of them are much more knowledgeable
than
> > you or I as to what has been discussed in the literature on Pale Fire.
> >
> > It is logical to infer that a student who lives at home with her parents
in
> > her own room without a paying guest does not have a roommate. If Hazel
lives
> > in a world where college students can both live at home and have
roommates,
> > then it was incumbent on the author to give us some evidence of this.
> >
> > The reference to a roommate who appears to be Hazel's, is an anomaly. I
infer
> > that the author intended it to be an anomaly.
> >
> > Carolyn
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
>
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> Jacob E. Pultorak
> Technical Director
> Oracle Corporation
> (617) 510-2361
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
>
>
From: "Jake Pultorak" <jake.pultorak@oracle.com>
To: "Vladimir Nabokov Forum" <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2002 7:30 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Ck replies to Jerry Friedman
> It would seem to me that nobody has argued that Hazel had a roommate
because
> there was no need to do so-- Nabokov himself has unequivocally stated so
in the
> very text. In science it is often said that extraordinary claims require
> extraordinary evidence, and the fact that Hazel maintains a room at home
and
> even lives in that room for some time during her college years in no way
> provides evidence that she NEVER lived on campus and had a roommate-- or
> possibly had a roommate on her trip abroad to the chateau.
>
> Having a roommate at any point in time during her college years would
qualify
> the reference "_that_ nice frail roommate". If the line had said "_her_
nice
> frail roommate", that might have implied a current living situation, and
perhaps
> indicated a contradiction. But it did not. Even now, more than a decade
after
> graduation, I still refer to my own college roommates as such-- even ones
that I
> shared quarters with off campus.
>
> In addition, while we recognize that Hazel did live at home for some
portion of
> the time, it should be noted that some colleges and universities have a
policy
> where Freshman MUST live on campus in dormitory housing. Cornell
University,
> the widely recognized progenitor of Wordsmith University, has precisely
such a
> policy. I don't know if that policy was in effect during Nabokov's
tenure, but
> I surmise that Hazel lived on campus her freshman year, and at home
afterwards.
> Furthermore I would suggest that the name of her dormitory was Sorosa
Hall:
>
> " The telephone that rang before a ball
> 330 Every two minutes in Sorosa Hall
> For her would never ring;..."
>
> Not text, but texture. But as with all Nabokov, the clues and
constructions of
> his created worlds are absolutely to be found within the text.
>
> -Jake Pultorak
>
> "D. Barton Johnson" wrote:
>
> > EDNOTE: CK's note offers me the opportunity to point out that every work
that
> > has been sent on NABOKV-L from day 1 is available in its archive. Just
go to
> > http://listserv.ucsb.edu/lsv-cgi-bin/wa and follow the links. Then do a
search
> > for whatwever..
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Carolyn Kunin
> > To: Vladimir Nabokov ForumSent: Thursday, November 21, 2002 8:08
AMSubject: Ck
> > replies to Jerry Friedman
> > Dear Jerry,
> >
> > I think I can honestly say that although Pale Fire is 40 years old this
year,
> > in all that time no one has argued, conjectured or supposed that Hazel
had a
> > roommate. If I am incorrect on this rather obvious point, the burden of
proof
> > is on the other foot.
> >
> > I believe I was the first to call attention to the anomaly of the
reference to
> > a roommate which Hazel, who lives at home, clearly does not have. If
others
> > noticed it before I called attention to it I sincerely hope they will
be
> > willing to come forward and say so. I believe that there are
approximately 800
> > people on this list, and that some of them are much more knowledgeable
than
> > you or I as to what has been discussed in the literature on Pale Fire.
> >
> > It is logical to infer that a student who lives at home with her parents
in
> > her own room without a paying guest does not have a roommate. If Hazel
lives
> > in a world where college students can both live at home and have
roommates,
> > then it was incumbent on the author to give us some evidence of this.
> >
> > The reference to a roommate who appears to be Hazel's, is an anomaly. I
infer
> > that the author intended it to be an anomaly.
> >
> > Carolyn
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
>
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> Jacob E. Pultorak
> Technical Director
> Oracle Corporation
> (617) 510-2361
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
>
>