NPPF - Preliminary - Pale Fire

[cfalbert]

> <<one of the sillier tacks taken in Nabokovian
> analysis is one where critics ask "Did N. intend for
> Shade to be a "worse" poet than the author. >>
>
> I'm not so sure this is a silly tack.  Kinbote's and
> Shades relative levels of writerly talent is an
> interesting and unavoidable topic and one VN certainly
> had control over.

True.......and I have waded through a fair amount of discussion about
whether Shade is or is not intended to be a "failed poet". But more so in
the case of the former, it seems a tremendous undertaking to compose such a
piece and then be able to "nuance" it sufficiently to convince critical
readers of "either/or",  999 entirely ambiguous lines.....


> <<My question is, could N. make Shade a better poet
> than
> himself? ...>>>
>
> Could N make a poem better than N could make a poem?
>
> Well, if anyone could ...

Don't you find it a touch paradoxical that so many critics disparage Nabokov
for a lack of "emotion", in the context of such poetic mastery (such being
the case whether the poem is or is not great)? Emotionally stunted savant?

btw, what is your take on Fowler?

love,
cfa