Dear Andrew,

 

You observed that we went "from a Keats question to a Wordsworth answer" but wasnīt Wordsworthīs Ode also about loss?

"...That though the radiance which was once so bright be now forever taken from my sight./ 
Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower/ We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind."...

Jansy
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Donald B. Johnson
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 8:15 PM
Subject: Fwd: RE: Spam: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?



----- Forwarded message from Andrew.Brown@bbdodetroit.com -----
    Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 10:08:49 -0500
    From: "Brown, Andrew" <Andrew.Brown@bbdodetroit.com>
Reply-To: "Brown, Andrew" <Andrew.Brown@bbdodetroit.com>
 Subject: RE: Spam: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?


Jansy,

I just now realized that our discussion, at least my share, has wheeled around
back into the Romantic poets. From a Keats question to a Wordsworth answer. And
now I wonder if VN could actually have intended a closer look at Keats/Bailey
than I thought at first. Is there a Proustian mnemosynian, or maybe
paramnesian, intonation in the romantic poet's concern with memory? My Keats
letters are at home.

Andrew Brown


> ----------
> From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
> Reply To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
> Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2005 6:06 PM
> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> Subject: Spam: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>
> <<File: ATT2148667.htm>>
>
>
> ----- Forwarded message from jansy@aetern.us -----
>     Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 08:09:53 -0300
>     From: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
> Reply-To: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
>  Subject: Re:      Re: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>
>
> RE:  Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?Andrew,
>
> You described what I meant and was unable to put into so many words (
actually,
> not that many!):" memories that come unbidden" instead of "specific memories
> that are sought but not obtained". But your observation that these memories
are
>  "often unwelcome" adds a Freudian dimension that I didnīt find in Proustīs
> elaborations.
> I think that what HH sought was not a specific memory -  but that  he did seek
a
> specific state of mind that could lead him into the experience of an
"aesthetic
> bliss".
> You wrote, in the end of your note: "until the fateful day he winds up in
> Ramsdale. And there he finds the real thing, of which Annabel was merely
> simulacrum".
> I cannot agree with you that "Lolita was the real thing"  because I believe,
> like Freud, that there is no such "real thing"  except the "real loss" of a
> "some-thing" that always haunts every one of us and which Nabokov could render
> in such a taunting heartbreaking way in almost all his novels.
>
> Jerrie Friedman wrote beautifully about his reading of "Pale Fire" and shared
> his vision with us where  a "red admiral" became "the" thing. But Friedman
also
> implied a level of apprehension like Taoist Chuang Tzuīs story about having
> dreamt that he was a butterfly and upon awakening finding himself not as
> certain as heīd been about who he was: a Chuang Tzu person ? A butterfly
> dreaming Chuang Tzy? ( i.e: are dreams more real than our conscious
vigil-state
> sense of "I am"?  )
>
> Thinking about movies and Ada, there would never be " a one only real
> translation/transposition" of VNīs novel. Thatīs not what movies are about (
> "transpositions" ), I think.
> Concerning "Lolita", for example, film-critic Richard Corliss wrote about
> Kubrickīs achievement saying that Nabokov had written a extravagantly
cinematic
> screen-play that could only exist on the printed page and  Adrian Lyne's
> screen-writer, Stephen Schiff, argued that Kubrick's movie tended more to a
> Quilty than to a Lolita.
> Schiff  viewed "Lolita" not as a mere book, but as a jig-saw puzzle, and, in
> transposing it into film he intended "to write a movie that an audience could
> take in entirely the first time; I hope that we have achieved something like
> the effect Nabokov intends after several readings, though our means are
> entirely different (...) attempting to translate into a kind of exciting sign
> language - the language of the film - what one of the century's greatest
> masters of prose rendered so incomparably on the page".    Interviewed by
> Suellen Stringer-Hye(www.libraries.psu.edu/iasweb/nabokov/schiffl.htm)
>
> What is "really" Ada? Where is the "real Lolita"?
> Jansy
>
>
>
> ----- Forwarded message from as-brown@comcast.net -----
>     Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 19:57:34 -0500
>     From: Andrew Brown <as-brown@comcast.net>>
> Reply-To: Andrew Brown <as-brown@comcast.net>
>  Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?Jansey,
>
> It seems to me more that Proust's involuntary memory meant memories that come
> unbidden, often unwelcome, more so than specific memories that are sought but
> not obtained. Proust's characters are more often engulfed in memories,
> overpowered by them. The involuntary action is memory's abundance. But from
the
> moment Humbert reports Annabel's death in Corfu, he can fairly easily, and
> coldbloodedly, proceed without much of a backward glance for her. The passage
> in which HH writes his ironic essay is in the period when he also writes his
> fleshless (and stillborn) pastiche, and hangs out at the Deux Magot, and
> basically lives as a banal left bank cliche. He admits to being an artiste
> manque which also supports my idea about the idleness of his essay. The
> nympholeptic contact has him in thrall, and he is less pining for the past
than
> he is muddling toward a future, through a string of desultory adventures,
until
> the fateful day he winds up in Ramsdale. And there he finds the real thing, of
> which Annabel was merely simulacrum.
>
> Andrew Brown
>
>
>   ----- Forwarded message from jansy@aetern.us -----
>       Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 14:15:27 -0300
>       From: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
>   Reply-To: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
>    Subject: Re:      Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>
>
>   I havenīt read any but one of Keatsī letters ( with the much quoted
> description
>   of "negative capability" - which all Nabokovians must cultivate anyway ) but
>   Iīve always been intrigued by Nabokovīs project of having everything under
>   control in his conscious mind yielding complete and free access to his
>   remembrances. No slip without glitter and glide.
>
>   And yet one of the intriguing aspects of Proustīs theory about memory and
his
>   examples comes from the fact that Proust refers to  an "involuntary memory".
>   There is a wonderful essay on Proust written by Samuel Beckett where he was
> able
>   to count only six or seven epiphanies in Proustīs entire oeuvre.
>
>   I was wondering if, instead of joining the chuckling scholars, HH was hiding
a
>   disappointment at his not being able to conjure up Annabel Lee as often as
he
>   desired. If his memory, like the Proustian, remained "involuntary" ...
>
>
>     ----- Forwarded message from Andrew.Brown@bbdodetroit.com -----
>         Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 08:26:38 -0500
>         From: "Brown, Andrew" <Andrew.Brown@bbdodetroit.com>
>     Mike,
>
>     Having read Keats's letters and found nothing in those addressed to Bailey
> to
>     suggest a Proustian theme, I took Humbert's assertion to mean that his
> article
>     had intentionally been in jest. HH notes without disappointment that the
>     article provoked chuckles from the few scholars who read it. I think VN
was
>     prone to enjoying this sort of humor. Possibly something of the sort was
> among
>     the minute idea seeds out of which grew the masterpiece Pale Fire.
>
>     Andrew Brown
>
>
>
>
>     > ----------
>     > From:         Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
>     > Reply To:     Vladimir Nabokov Forum
>     > Sent:         Tuesday, March 15, 2005 9:48 PM
>     > To:   NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
>     > Subject:      Spam: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>     >
>     > Dear List,
>     >
>     > A Lolita question: Humbert notes (p. 16 in the Vintage edition) that he
>     > wrote an article about "The Proustian theme in a letter from Keats to
>     > Benjamin Bailey." I assume that the letter has something to do with
> memory,
>     > but I'm having a hard time finding any passages in Keats's letters to
> Bailey
>     > that directly deal with memory. Has anyone figured out the specific
Keats
>     > passage that H.H. might be referring to?>
>     >
>     > Thanks,
>     > Mike Donohue
>     >
>     > ----- End forwarded message -----
>     >
>     >
>
>
>     This message and any attachments contain information, which may be
>   confidential
>     or privileged.  If you are not the intended recipient, please refrain from
> any
>     disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this information.  Please be
> aware
>     that such actions are prohibited.  If you have received this transmission
in
>     error, kindly notify us by calling 1-800-262-4723 or e-mail to
>     helpdesk@bbdo.com. We appreciate your cooperation.
>
>     ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
>
> 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>     Mike,
>
>     Having read Keats's letters and found nothing in those addressed to Bailey
> to
>   suggest a Proustian theme, I took Humbert's assertion to mean that his
article
>   had intentionally been in jest. HH notes without disappointment that the
>   article provoked chuckles from the few scholars who read it. I think VN was
>   prone to enjoying this sort of humor. Possibly something of the sort was
among
>   the minute idea seeds out of which grew the masterpiece Pale Fire.
>
>     Andrew Brown
>
>
>
>
>
>       ----------
>       From:   Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
>       Reply To:       Vladimir Nabokov Forum
>       Sent:   Tuesday, March 15, 2005 9:48 PM
>       To:     NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
>       Subject:        Spam: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>
>       Dear List,
>
>       A Lolita question: Humbert notes (p. 16 in the Vintage edition) that he
>       wrote an article about "The Proustian theme in a letter from Keats to
>       Benjamin Bailey." I assume that the letter has something to do with
> memory,
>       but I'm having a hard time finding any passages in Keats's letters to
> Bailey
>       that directly deal with memory. Has anyone figured out the specific
Keats
>       passage that H.H. might be referring to?
>
>       Thanks,
>       Mike Donohue
>
>       ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
>
>           This message and any attachments contain information, which may be
>   confidential or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please
>   refrain from any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this
information.
>   Please be aware that such actions are prohibited. If you have received this
>   transmission in error, kindly notify us by calling 1-800-262-4723 or e-mail
to
>   helpdesk@bbdo.com. We appreciate your cooperation.
>
>   ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>   Andrew,
>
>   I havenīt read any but one of Keatsī letters ( with the much quoted
> description of "negative capability" - which all Nabokovians must cultivate
> anyway ) but Iīve always been intrigued by Nabokovīs project of having
> everything under control in his conscious mind yielding complete and free
> access to his remembrances. No slip without glitter and glide.
>
>   And yet one of the intriguing aspects of Proustīs theory about memory and
his
> examples comes from the fact that Proust refers to  an "involuntary memory".
>   There is a wonderful essay on Proust written by Samuel Beckett where he was
> able to count only six or seven epiphanies in Proustīs entire oeuvre.
>
>   I was wondering if, instead of joining the chuckling scholars, HH was hiding
a
> disappointment at his not being able to conjure up Annabel Lee as often as he
> desired. If his memory, like the Proustian, remained "involuntary" ...
>
>     ----- Original Message -----
>     From: Donald B. Johnson
>     To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
>     Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 1:39 PM
>     Subject: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>
>
>
>
>     ----- Forwarded message from Andrew.Brown@bbdodetroit.com ----->
>         Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 08:26:38 -0500
>         From: "Brown, Andrew" <Andrew.Brown@bbdodetroit.com>
>     Mike,
>
>     Having read Keats's letters and found nothing in those addressed to Bailey
> to
>     suggest a Proustian theme, I took Humbert's assertion to mean that his
> article
>     had intentionally been in jest. HH notes without disappointment that the
>     article provoked chuckles from the few scholars who read it. I think VN
was
>     prone to enjoying this sort of humor. Possibly something of the sort was
> among
>     the minute idea seeds out of which grew the masterpiece Pale Fire.
>
>     Andrew Brown
>
>
>
>
>     > ----------
>     > From:         Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
>     > Reply To:     Vladimir Nabokov Forum
>     > Sent:         Tuesday, March 15, 2005 9:48 PM
>     > To:   NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
>     > Subject:      Spam: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>     >
>     > Dear List,
>     >
>     > A Lolita question: Humbert notes (p. 16 in the Vintage edition) that he
>     > wrote an article about "The Proustian theme in a letter from Keats to
>     > Benjamin Bailey." I assume that the letter has something to do with
> memory,
>     > but I'm having a hard time finding any passages in Keats's letters to
> Bailey
>     > that directly deal with memory. Has anyone figured out the specific
Keats
>     > passage that H.H. might be referring to?
>     >
>     > Thanks,
>     > Mike Donohue
>     >
>     > ----- End forwarded message -----
>     >
>     >
>
>
>     This message and any attachments contain information, which may be
> confidential
>     or privileged.  If you are not the intended recipient, please refrain from
> any
>     disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this information.  Please be
> aware
>     that such actions are prohibited.  If you have received this transmission
in
>     error, kindly notify us by calling 1-800-262-4723 or e-mail to
>     helpdesk@bbdo.com. We appreciate your cooperation.
>
>     ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>     Mike,
>
>     Having read Keats's letters and found nothing in those addressed to Bailey
> to suggest a Proustian theme, I took Humbert's assertion to mean that his
> article had intentionally been in jest. HH notes without disappointment that
> the article provoked chuckles from the few scholars who read it. I think VN
was
> prone to enjoying this sort of humor. Possibly something of the sort was among
> the minute idea seeds out of which grew the masterpiece Pale Fire.
>
>     Andrew Brown
>
>
>
>
>
>       ----------
>       From:   Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
>       Reply To:       Vladimir Nabokov Forum
>       Sent:   Tuesday, March 15, 2005 9:48 PM
>       To:     NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
>       Subject:        Spam: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>
>       Dear List,
>
>       A Lolita question: Humbert notes (p. 16 in the Vintage edition) that he
>       wrote an article about "The Proustian theme in a letter from Keats to
>       Benjamin Bailey." I assume that the letter has something to do with
> memory,
>       but I'm having a hard time finding any passages in Keats's letters to
> Bailey
>       that directly deal with memory. Has anyone figured out the specific
Keats
>       passage that H.H. might be referring to?
>
>       Thanks,
>       Mike Donohue
>
>       ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
>
>           This message and any attachments contain information, which may be
> confidential or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please
> refrain from any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this information.
> Please be aware that such actions are prohibited. If you have received this
> transmission in error, kindly notify us by calling 1-800-262-4723 or e-mail
to>
> helpdesk@bbdo.com. We appreciate your cooperation.
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>   Jansey,
>
>   It seems to me more that Proust's involuntary memory meant memories that
come
> unbidden, often unwelcome, more so than specific memories that are sought but
> not obtained. Proust's characters are more often engulfed in memories,
> overpowered by them. The involuntary action is memory's abundance. But from
the
> moment Humbert reports Annabel's death in Corfu, he can fairly easily, and
> coldbloodedly, proceed without much of a backward glance for her. The passage
> in which HH writes his ironic essay is in the period when he also writes his
> fleshless (and stillborn) pastiche, and hangs out at the Deux Magot, and
> basically lives as a banal left bank cliche. He admits to being an artiste
> manque which also supports my idea about the idleness of his essay. The
> nympholeptic contact has him in thrall, and he is less pining for the past
than
> he is muddling toward a future, through a string of desultory adventures,
until
> the fateful day he winds up in Ramsdale. And there he finds the real thing, of
> which Annabel was merely simulacrum.
>
>   Andrew Brown
>
>
>
>     ----- Original Message -----
>     From: Donald B. Johnson
>     To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
>     Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 3:50 PM
>     Subject: Fwd: Re: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>
>
>
>
>     ----- Forwarded message from jansy@aetern.us -----
>         Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 14:15:27 -0300
>         From: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
>     Reply-To: Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>
>      Subject: Re:      Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>
>     RE: Spam: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?Andrew,
>
>     I havenīt read any but one of Keatsī letters ( with the much quoted
> description
>     of "negative capability" - which all Nabokovians must cultivate anyway )
but
>     Iīve always been intrigued by Nabokovīs project of having everything under
>     control in his conscious mind yielding complete and free access to his
>     remembrances. No slip without glitter and glide.
>
>     And yet one of the intriguing aspects of Proustīs theory about memory and
> his
>     examples comes from the fact that Proust refers to  an "involuntary
memory".
>     There is a wonderful essay on Proust written by Samuel Beckett where he
was
> able
>     to count only six or seven epiphanies in Proustīs entire oeuvre.
>
>     I was wondering if, instead of joining the chuckling scholars, HH was
hiding
> a
>     disappointment at his not being able to conjure up Annabel Lee as often as
> he
>     desired. If his memory, like the Proustian, remained "involuntary" ...
>
>       ----- Original Message -----
>       From: Donald B. Johnson
>       To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
>       Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 1:39 PM
>       Subject: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>
>
>
>
>       ----- Forwarded message from Andrew.Brown@bbdodetroit.com -----
>           Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 08:26:38 -0500
>           From: "Brown, Andrew" <Andrew.Brown@bbdodetroit.com>
>       Mike,
>
>       Having read Keats's letters and found nothing in those addressed to
Bailey
> to
>       suggest a Proustian theme, I took Humbert's assertion to mean that his
> article
>       had intentionally been in jest. HH notes without disappointment that the
>       article provoked chuckles from the few scholars who read it. I think VN
> was
>       prone to enjoying this sort of humor. Possibly something of the sort was
> among
>       the minute idea seeds out of which grew the masterpiece Pale Fire.
>
>       Andrew Brown
>
>
>
>
>       > ----------
>       > From:         Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson>
>       > Reply To:     Vladimir Nabokov Forum
>       > Sent:         Tuesday, March 15, 2005 9:48 PM
>       > To:   NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
>       > Subject:      Spam: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>       >
>       > Dear List,
>       >
>       > A Lolita question: Humbert notes (p. 16 in the Vintage edition) that
he
>       > wrote an article about "The Proustian theme in a letter from Keats to
>       > Benjamin Bailey." I assume that the letter has something to do with
> memory,
>       > but I'm having a hard time finding any passages in Keats's letters to
> Bailey
>       > that directly deal with memory. Has anyone figured out the specific
> Keats
>       > passage that H.H. might be referring to?
>       >
>       > Thanks,
>       > Mike Donohue
>       >
>       > ----- End forwarded message -----
>       >
>       >
>
>
>       This message and any attachments contain information, which may be
>     confidential
>       or privileged.  If you are not the intended recipient, please refrain
from
> any
>       disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this information.  Please be
> aware
>       that such actions are prohibited.  If you have received this
transmission
> in
>       error, kindly notify us by calling 1-800-262-4723 or e-mail to
>       helpdesk@bbdo.com. We appreciate your cooperation.
>
>       ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>       Mike,
>
>       Having read Keats's letters and found nothing in those addressed to
Bailey
> to
>     suggest a Proustian theme, I took Humbert's assertion to mean that his
> article
>     had intentionally been in jest. HH notes without disappointment that the
>     article provoked chuckles from the few scholars who read it. I think VN
was
>     prone to enjoying this sort of humor. Possibly something of the sort was
> among
>     the minute idea seeds out of which grew the masterpiece Pale Fire.
>
>       Andrew Brown
>
>
>
>
>
>         ----------
>         From:   Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
>         Reply To:       Vladimir Nabokov Forum
>         Sent:   Tuesday, March 15, 2005 9:48 PM
>         To:     NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
>         Subject:        Spam: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>
>         Dear List,
>
>         A Lolita question: Humbert notes (p. 16 in the Vintage edition) that
he
>         wrote an article about "The Proustian theme in a letter from Keats to
>         Benjamin Bailey." I assume that the letter has something to do with
> memory,
>         but I'm having a hard time finding any passages in Keats's letters to
> Bailey
>         that directly deal with memory. Has anyone figured out the specific
> Keats
>         passage that H.H. might be referring to?
>
>         Thanks,
>         Mike Donohue
>
>         ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
>
>             This message and any attachments contain information, which may be
>     confidential or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please
>     refrain from any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this
> information.
>     Please be aware that such actions are prohibited. If you have received
this
>     transmission in error, kindly notify us by calling 1-800-262-4723 or
e-mail
> to
>     helpdesk@bbdo.com. We appreciate your cooperation.
>
>     ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>     Andrew,
>
>     I havenīt read any but one of Keatsī letters ( with the much quoted
> description of "negative capability" - which all Nabokovians must cultivate
> anyway ) but Iīve always been intrigued by Nabokovīs project of having
> everything under control in his conscious mind yielding complete and free
> access to his remembrances. No slip without glitter and glide.>
>
>     And yet one of the intriguing aspects of Proustīs theory about memory and
> his examples comes from the fact that Proust refers to  an "involuntary
> memory".
>     There is a wonderful essay on Proust written by Samuel Beckett where he
was
> able to count only six or seven epiphanies in Proustīs entire oeuvre.
>
>     I was wondering if, instead of joining the chuckling scholars, HH was
hiding
> a disappointment at his not being able to conjure up Annabel Lee as often as
he
> desired. If his memory, like the Proustian, remained "involuntary" ...
>
>       ----- Original Message -----
>       From: Donald B. Johnson
>       To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
>       Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 1:39 PM
>       Subject: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>
>
>
>
>       ----- Forwarded message from Andrew.Brown@bbdodetroit.com -----
>           Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 08:26:38 -0500
>           From: "Brown, Andrew" <Andrew.Brown@bbdodetroit.com>
>       Mike,
>
>       Having read Keats's letters and found nothing in those addressed to
Bailey
> to
>       suggest a Proustian theme, I took Humbert's assertion to mean that his
> article
>       had intentionally been in jest. HH notes without disappointment that the
>       article provoked chuckles from the few scholars who read it. I think VN
> was
>       prone to enjoying this sort of humor. Possibly something of the sort was
> among
>       the minute idea seeds out of which grew the masterpiece Pale Fire.
>
>       Andrew Brown
>
>
>
>
>       > ----------
>       > From:         Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
>       > Reply To:     Vladimir Nabokov Forum
>       > Sent:         Tuesday, March 15, 2005 9:48 PM
>       > To:   NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
>       > Subject:      Spam: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?
>       >
>       > Dear List,
>       >
>       > A Lolita question: Humbert notes (p. 16 in the Vintage edition) that
he
>       > wrote an article about "The Proustian theme in a letter from Keats to
>       > Benjamin Bailey." I assume that the letter has something to do with
> memory,
>       > but I'm having a hard time finding any passages in Keats's letters to
> Bailey
>       > that directly deal with memory. Has anyone figured out the specific
> Keats
>       > passage that H.H. might be referring to?
>       >
>       > Thanks,
>       > Mike Donohue
>       >
>       > ----- End forwarded message -----
>       >
>       >
>
>
>       This message and any attachments contain information, which may be
> confidential
>       or privileged.  If you are not the intended recipient, please refrain
from
> any
>       disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this information.  Please be
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>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>       Mike,
>
>       Having read Keats's letters and found nothing in those addressed to
Bailey
> to suggest a Proustian theme, I took Humbert's assertion to mean that his
> article had intentionally been in jest. HH notes without disappointment that
> the article provoked chuckles from the few scholars who read it. I think VN
was
> prone to enjoying this sort of humor. Possibly something of the sort was among
> the minute idea seeds out of which grew the masterpiece Pale Fire.
>
>       Andrew Brown
>
>
>
>
>
>         ----------
>         From:   Vladimir Nabokov Forum on behalf of Donald B. Johnson
>         Reply To:       Vladimir Nabokov Forum
>         Sent:   Tuesday, March 15, 2005 9:48 PM
>         To:     NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
>         Subject:        Spam: Query: Lolita and Keats-Bailey correspondence?>
>
>         Dear List,
>
>         A Lolita question: Humbert notes (p. 16 in the Vintage edition) that
he
>         wrote an article about "The Proustian theme in a letter from Keats to
>         Benjamin Bailey." I assume that the letter has something to do with
> memory,
>         but I'm having a hard time finding any passages in Keats's letters to
> Bailey
>         that directly deal with memory. Has anyone figured out the specific
> Keats
>         passage that H.H. might be referring to?
>
>         Thanks,
>         Mike Donohue
>
>         ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
>
>             This message and any attachments contain information, which may be
> confidential or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please
> refrain from any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this information.
> Please be aware that such actions are prohibited. If you have received this
> transmission in error, kindly notify us by calling 1-800-262-4723 or e-mail to
> helpdesk@bbdo.com. We appreciate your cooperation.
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>

----- End forwarded message -----

Jansey,

I just now realized that our discussion, at least my share, has wheeled around back into the Romantic poets. From a Keats question to a Wordsworth answer. And now I wonder if VN could actually have intended a closer look at Keats/Bailey than I thought at first. Is there a Proustian mnemosynian, or maybe paramnesian, intonation in the romantic poet's concern with memory? My Keats letters are at home.

Andrew Brown