Dear List,
From today's random find in the Archives,
with Donald Barton Johnson's
abstract of "Signs & Symbols":Nabokov & Iconicity
[ NABOKOV SYMPOSIUM (July 15-19, 2002)
Saint Petersburg ], I learned that "Iconicity is....
the use of a letter's physical shape to carry meaning: words mean; letters
(sometimes) illustrate or mimic topic and/or theme [...] We shall see that
Nabokov, the consummate artist, employs these almost subliminal signs and
symbols and integrates them into the architecture of his art."
I decided to use this opportunity to bring up
something that has recently struck me in relation to "iconicity".
It concerns how words
may dangerously and inevitably change shape by translation.
In the German edition of "Pale Fire",Fahles Feuer, there is a surprising visual outcome of CK's
very first sentence dealing with Shade's poem of nine hundred ninety-nine lines.
We see: "ein Gedicht von neunhundertneunundneunzig
Zeilen".
What a fat worm of a number and it needs no echo
of "nine/lines" to make its presence felt.
( Sandy Klein's posting on "how the lead organization lobbying on behalf of special
privileges for Mexicans in the U.S.A. manages to get away with calling itself
“National Council of La Raza.” ...and Russian Noses ("There you have it: Russia is the nasal nation.") was a
delightful find. Just for the fun of it ( but the initial issue is far from
amusing) I'll add a palindrome which even serves as a criticism for
"raza". I think was authored by Julio Cortazar while playing with his
own name:
"Adan y raza; azar y
nada".)