-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: RG on MR meter comment Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2007 13:26:37 -0800 From: Matthew Roth <mroth@MESSIAH.EDU> To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
RG: "Baudelaire" for Nabokov is obviously a two-syllable word.
MR: But the author of the poem is John Shade. Kinbote seems to think that
the question of the "e" is at least worth mentioning, which must mean that
a pronounced "e" is not out of the question. Indeed, Kinbote's "I am quite
certain" strikes me as one of those moments when we should be wary of his
certainty. All that aside, if we do need two syllables for the ---, not
one, the spondee "John Shade" is more likely than "Kinbote," who wouldn't
fit in the catalog of poets. I like "Kit Smart" too, and I would add "John
Clare," which would provide a nice chime with Baudelaire. Still, it's not
clear why Shade wouldn't have wanted to write out the name if it's just an
historical figure. Kinbote asks the right question: why couldn't Shade
write it out?
Matt
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