A. Sklyarenko:
Have I given away Box I (son and husband
of Loulou, the housekeeper's pet), that old brown dachshund fast asleep on
the sofa? (Speak, Memory, Chapter Five, 2) In Drugie
Berega VN compares Loulou to Jocasta, king Oedipus's mother and wife: Не помню, одалживал ли я кому Бокса Первого, любимца ключницы,
пережившего свою Лулу-Иокасту.
Jansy Mello: How curious. I'd expect Nabokov, the
scientist, to differentiate humans from animals - for the latter
have no inkling about blood-relationships nor of any
cultural determinant that set limits for
procreation.
Perhaps there's a detail in VN's Drugie Berega,
related to Box I, that is missing. It might explain VN's poor play
with dogs and men and offer something more in his comparison bt.
Loulou and Jocasta?