Subject
Best VN short story (fwd)
Date
Body
From: Ryan Asmussen <rra@bu.edu>
Dear All:
In reply to Rodney Welch's query re "VN's best short story": though it is
an obvious choice, I would still have to go with "Signs and Symbols". To
my mind, it is one of the most perfect short stories ever written, and even
after a dozen or so readings I never fail to be amazed at Nabokov's insight
and ability. It is so finely constructed, so replete with meaning, so
touching in its emotions offered, and so unique in its vision that in some
ways I think of it as a long, extended poem written in prose. It is also
excellent, I've found, for use in teaching Nabokov and the art of the short
story in general, in that it not only allows students ample material with
which to fashion their own burgeoning literary interpretations, but
confronts them with a masterful style that stretches their understanding of
the possibilities of language.
Yours,
Ryan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ryan Asmussen
Administrative Assistant to the Chairman
Biomedical Engineering Department
Boston University
44 Cummington Street
Boston, MA 02215
phone: (617) 353-8068
fax: (617) 353-6766
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear All:
In reply to Rodney Welch's query re "VN's best short story": though it is
an obvious choice, I would still have to go with "Signs and Symbols". To
my mind, it is one of the most perfect short stories ever written, and even
after a dozen or so readings I never fail to be amazed at Nabokov's insight
and ability. It is so finely constructed, so replete with meaning, so
touching in its emotions offered, and so unique in its vision that in some
ways I think of it as a long, extended poem written in prose. It is also
excellent, I've found, for use in teaching Nabokov and the art of the short
story in general, in that it not only allows students ample material with
which to fashion their own burgeoning literary interpretations, but
confronts them with a masterful style that stretches their understanding of
the possibilities of language.
Yours,
Ryan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ryan Asmussen
Administrative Assistant to the Chairman
Biomedical Engineering Department
Boston University
44 Cummington Street
Boston, MA 02215
phone: (617) 353-8068
fax: (617) 353-6766
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~