Matt Roth: "I might also remind
everyone of the reference to "Colonel Starbottle" (Starover Blue), which might
lead us to Bret Harte's story "Colonel Starbottle's Client," also concerned with
kinbote."
JM: Perhaps other participants are not
as familiar with Bret Harte as you are. I only read "The Iliad of Sandy
Bar" where we also find a Colonel Starbottle and two litigating parties
reconciled in the end. Would VN have been familiar with this Colonel
Starbottle, what could have inpired him to use this name in Pale
Fire? Even with the link to "kinbote", I find it hard to puzzle
out.
Btw by a very loose association
to duellings and a truce, there is a question I now remember
to bring up: In one of my
last postings I included various quotes about "ceil" but didn't
underline something that I think is an interesting revelation on the part
of Van Veen ( and VN): et trêve de mon style plafond
peint.
How has Van's description of his style as a "painted
ceiling" been interpreted in relation to VN's
own?