Describing Demon's affair with Marina, Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) mentions a Bohemian lady (Baron d'Onsky's mistress from whom Demon learns about Marina's infidelity):
At the end of her letter to Lolita Mona Dahl (in VN's novel Lolita, 1955, Lolita's best friend at Beardsley) sends her best regards to the Governor (i. e. Humbert Humbert):
Describing his childhood, Humbert Humbert (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Lolita, 1955) mentions the splendid Hotel Mirana that revolved around him as a kind of private universe:
During Van's first tea party at Ardis Marina (in VN's novel Ada, 1969, Van's, Ada's and Lucette's mother) tells Van that there is a ladybird on his plate:
Describing the torments of poor mad Aqua (the twin sister of Van's, Ada's and Lucette's mother Marina), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) says that clothes hangers seemed to Aqua the shoulders of decapitated Tellurians:
Describing the torments and suicide of poor mad Aqua (the twin sister of Van's, Ada's and Lucette's mother Marina), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) mentions the Dr Froit of Signy-Mondieu-Mondieu and a Dr Sig Heiler, spanker of girl bottoms and spunky spittoon-user:
At the picnic on Ada's twelfth birthday Greg Erminin (in VN's novel Ada, 1969, Grace's twin brother) puts on his sister’s blue skirt, hat and glasses, all of which transforms him into a very sick, mentally retarded Grace:
One of the three main characters in VN’s novel Pale Fire (1962), Jakob Gradus (Shade’s murderer) is a son of Martin Gradus, a Protestant minister in Riga:
Describing the torments of poor mad Aqua (the twin sister of Van's, Ada's and Lucette's mother Marina), Van Veen (the narrator and main character in VN's novel Ada, 1969) mentions a half-Russian, half-dotty old doctor who quoted a poem by Guido Cavalcanti:
