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Re: EDNote: Cordiality
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Maybe there is such a thing as a
classically British style of argument--a kind of honorable pugnacity, if I can
stereotype it. And maybe the words "abnormal" and
"perverse" carry different connotations in the UK and the US (they
remind me of John Ray and strike me as hilarious). But I'm reasonably sure that
"copying" is a term of disparagement on both sides of the ocean, and
that the labored insistence on "correct" and "wrong"
readings is accurately described as "shrill" in the English-speaking
world—particularly when the conclusion at issue (the viability of the
52-hypothesis) had already been conceded.
This might be more relevant than it
appears in that, if this is a problem of translation (of sorts), then perhaps
critics will also need to differentiate between the American and British
inflections of Nabokov's voice(s) in the novel. This might begin to account for
differences in responses to the character of John Ray, which could be crucially
important to interpretations of the text. Has anyone attempted such a thing? I
think that these notions of "British" and "American" would
prove very difficult to bottle.
> Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:17:09 -0400
> From: nabokv-l@UTK.EDU
> Subject: [NABOKV-L] EDNote: Cordiality
> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
>
> I have not noticed that the discussion of "56 days" has become less than
> cordial. There may be some subtleties of British vs. American usage
> that do not cross the Atlantic without making some waves, however. I
> certainly applaud the efforts and successes on all sides toward
> maintaining a respectful tone in this debate. I do think Anthony
> Stadlen's discovery is vital, but I do not believe that it is closed to
> further questioning.
> ~SB
>
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