Purists who like to separate Greek from Latin would prefer "toxonomic" to be a pun about archery rather than poisons--if it weren't a misprint.  Likewise they might wish Nabokov had coined a completely Greek word such as "pyxology" (if I formed that correctly), after the Greek words for boxwood and ancient cylindrical "boxes", instead of "buxology".  Could he possibly have been trying for comprehensibility?  On the other hand, they might give Nabokov credit for using "buxology" in the strict sense of "pertaining to discussions of boxes" (the terms must be those one would use in talking boxes) instead of in the loose sense of "having to do with boxes".

And what are those terms?  I took a look at Dead Souls and didn't see any box-related terms where Korobochka was mentioned.  What did Nabokov see?

In answer to Yigit Yavuz: I don't see any examples of "boxology" at Google Books before 1990, except a parodic suggestion that it could mean the knowledge of boxing, and a lot of OCR errors for "doxology".

Jerry Friedman


On Fri, Jul 26, 2013 at 9:44 AM, Roth, Matthew <mroth@messiah.edu> wrote:

“Buxological” here simply means “related to boxes,” from the Latin root buxus, meaning boxwood (or anything made of boxwood).

 

Unless VN is making a pun regarding something poisonous, I think “toxonomic" is a misprint and should be “taxonomic.”

 

Matt Roth

 

From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum [mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU] On Behalf Of Nabokv-L
Sent: Friday, July 26, 2013 8:40 AM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: [NABOKV-L] : Vocabulary 'Lectures on Russian Literature': toxonomic & buxology

 

 



-------- Original Message --------

Subject:

Vocabulary 'Lectures on Russian Literature': toxonomic & buxology

Date:

Thu, 25 Jul 2013 11:14:28 -0700

From:

Rodrigo Dauster <rdauster@GMAIL.COM>

To:

<NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>


----------------- There are two words in the 'Lectures on Russian Literature' whose definition I can't find. TOXONOMIC "'Pa-vel l-va-no-vich Chi-chi-kov'; and these syllables have a TOXONOMIC value for the identification of that particular staircase." BUXOLOGICAL "Korobochka's arrival in the town at the crucial moment is described in BUXOLOGICAL terms, subtly in keeping with those used for the above quoted anatomic preparation of Chichikov's soul." I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thank you, Rodrigo

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