James
Twiggs: "‘The word is not a shadow. The word is a thing’ –
Nabokov as anti-Symbolist." by Glynn, Michael michael.glynn@btinternet.com ) European Journal of American
Culture; 2006, Vol. 25 Issue 1, p3-30, 28p
JM: Nevertheless, if "the
word is not a shadow -the word is a thing," how are we to understand
Nabokov's words about James Joyce?
Nabokov believed that we think “in shadows of words” and in his opinion
James Joyce lent “too much
verbal body to his thoughts”. For him
Joyce’s “stream of consciousness” had its origin in a mere stylistic
convention, perhaps so literal that it
“altered the time element” and “placed too great a reliance
on typography.”
Did Nabokov see himself as an enchanter
- in the literal sense (ie: word-animism)?
Was he a
"nominalist"?
He stated that he doesn't think in words but
by images. Would these then be "the shadows of
words"?*
...............................................................
Freud considered dream images
as "regressive," and apt to suffer distortions. This is why he traces
them to their original words (verbal symbols, which are
totally distinct from euphemistic or imagetic "symbols") to find out the
latent, unconscious, line of
thought.