The Greek word "skia" (shadow) plays another, indirect, role in
<bold>Pnin </bold>besides the skiagraph to which A. Bouazza refers.
Recall that a squirrel plays a significant role in the novel; the word
"squirrel" derives from the Greek  "skia" plus "oura" (tail),
reflecting the fact that squirrels generally have a bushy tail that
casts a shadow, or suggests the animal's shadow. The Modern Greek word
for squirrel is "skioura"; the "l" in the English ultimately derives
from a Latin diminutive.


Earl Sampson


On 5Jan2007, at 2:33 PM, A. Bouazza wrote:


<excerpt><fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><smaller><x-tad-smaller>Dear
Jansy,</x-tad-smaller></smaller></color></fontfamily></excerpt><excerpt>

 

<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><smaller><x-tad-smaller>My
epigraph for the following explicatory note is:</x-tad-smaller></smaller></color></fontfamily></excerpt><excerpt>

 

<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><smaller><x-tad-smaller>"I
do not know who "Baron Corvo"and (Professor?) Firbank are..."
</x-tad-smaller><bold><italic><x-tad-smaller>Strong
Opinions</x-tad-smaller></italic></bold><x-tad-smaller>, p.213.</x-tad-smaller></smaller></color></fontfamily></excerpt><excerpt>

 

<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><smaller><x-tad-smaller>I
must confess to a Rolfian penchant for borrowing Old Greek words, and
although I would not go so far as to use, for instance,
</x-tad-smaller><italic><x-tad-smaller>rhypokondylose</x-tad-smaller></italic><x-tad-smaller>,
I have not been berated for another one which I sneaked into my
posting of December 15th.</x-tad-smaller></smaller></color></fontfamily></excerpt><excerpt>

<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><smaller><x-tad-smaller>Sciothery
is
</x-tad-smaller><italic><x-tad-smaller>skiothereia</x-tad-smaller></italic><x-tad-smaller> meaning
"shadow-hunting" and
</x-tad-smaller><italic><x-tad-smaller>skiotheron</x-tad-smaller></italic><x-tad-smaller>,
literally shadow-hunter or catcher, is a sundial, a gnomon.</x-tad-smaller></smaller></color></fontfamily></excerpt><excerpt>

<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><smaller><x-tad-smaller>Remember
skiagraph in
</x-tad-smaller><bold><italic><x-tad-smaller>Pnin</x-tad-smaller></italic></bold><x-tad-smaller>.
By the way, both
</x-tad-smaller><italic><x-tad-smaller>umbra</x-tad-smaller></italic><x-tad-smaller> and
</x-tad-smaller><italic><x-tad-smaller>skiá</x-tad-smaller></italic><x-tad-smaller>
have the meaning of "an uninvited guest."</x-tad-smaller></smaller></color></fontfamily></excerpt><excerpt>

<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><smaller><x-tad-smaller>The
Latin
</x-tad-smaller><italic><x-tad-smaller>sciolus</x-tad-smaller></italic><x-tad-smaller> is
unrelated as it is derived from
</x-tad-smaller><italic><x-tad-smaller>scire</x-tad-smaller></italic><x-tad-smaller>,
to know.</x-tad-smaller></smaller></color></fontfamily></excerpt><excerpt>

<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><smaller><x-tad-smaller>I
don't know the English, French, Dutch, Latin and Old Greek equivalents
of the charming Portuguese
</x-tad-smaller><bold><italic><x-tad-smaller>siar</x-tad-smaller></italic></bold><x-tad-smaller>,
but Classical Arabic is rich in such animal as well as human motions,
gestures, gaits, postures etc etc.; it even has a word for Gradus'
"chaimpanzee slouch of his broad body and short hindlegs,"
</x-tad-smaller><bold><x-tad-smaller>Pale
Fire</x-tad-smaller></bold><x-tad-smaller>, p. 277.  However, I am
reminded of an observation in </x-tad-smaller><bold><x-tad-smaller>The
Gift</x-tad-smaller></bold><x-tad-smaller> that when a bird (a crow?)
alights it adjusts one wing.</x-tad-smaller></smaller></color></fontfamily></excerpt><excerpt>

 

<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><smaller><x-tad-smaller>A.
Bouazza.</x-tad-smaller></smaller></color></fontfamily></excerpt><excerpt>

<excerpt><smaller><x-tad-smaller>-----Original Message-----</x-tad-smaller></smaller></excerpt></excerpt><excerpt><excerpt>

<bold><smaller><x-tad-smaller>From:</x-tad-smaller></smaller></bold><smaller><x-tad-smaller>
Vladimir Nabokov Forum
[mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU]</x-tad-smaller><bold><x-tad-smaller>On
Behalf Of </x-tad-smaller></bold><x-tad-smaller>jansymello</x-tad-smaller></smaller></excerpt></excerpt><excerpt><excerpt>

<bold><smaller><x-tad-smaller>Sent:</x-tad-smaller></smaller></bold><smaller><x-tad-smaller>
05 January 2007 03:06</x-tad-smaller></smaller></excerpt></excerpt><excerpt><excerpt>

<bold><smaller><x-tad-smaller>To:</x-tad-smaller></smaller></bold><smaller><x-tad-smaller>
NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU</x-tad-smaller></smaller></excerpt></excerpt><excerpt><excerpt>

<bold><smaller><x-tad-smaller>Subject:</x-tad-smaller></smaller></bold><smaller><x-tad-smaller>
Re: [NABOKV-L] Shadow Hunters & Sundials</x-tad-smaller></smaller></excerpt></excerpt><excerpt><excerpt>


A. Bouazza wrote about "<italic>the recent sciothery or hunt for the
waxwing's shadow or, more exactly..</italic>.",  before recreating the
shades of Luzhin's nose creating a kind of sundial -  as precise as if
it'd been inspired by Aqua's moustachioed clock. 

He also mentions Proffer's study that creates a "<italic>a
sciotherical list of what he called "sun and shade images" as they
occur in Lolita (and elsewhere), <bold>Keys to Lolita</bold>, pp.
105-107 (and 121-124)", and indicated pages 105-106 of this book, for
the light they shed on [the] enumeration of VN's tessellate and
reticular imagery. "</italic>

 <<snip>

Jansy


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</excerpt><fontfamily><param>Geneva</param><smaller>"The most
beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious ... the fundamental
emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science." -
Albert Einstein (1879-1955).</smaller></fontfamily>