NPPF - preliminary

[David Morris]

--- The Great Quail <quail at libyrinth.com> wrote:
> I for one loathed Kinbote from the beginning, and felt a lot of sympathy for
Shade....unlike in "Lolita," where I really did feel sympathy for the
admittedly monstrous Humbert....

I agree with you about feeling sympathy with Humbert, despite his predatory
nature.  He even succeeded in causing some arousal.  And that sympathy, along
with all the comedy, is what makes *Lolita* work.

Now I’m going to throw out a zinger: Unlike *Lolita*, whose surface story
stands on its own feet, the “surface” story of*Pale Fire* is unsatisfying.  And
I think that’s why so many readers are desperate to dig into it as a puzzle to
find some interest in the story.  We don’t really care about Kinbote, and his
madness is not that interesting.  The poem is OK, but Kinbote nearly ignores it
in his Commentary, and his diversions into Zembla are only mildly interesting.

After I finished *Ada*, I commented on the Nabokov list that I found the
“surface” story lacking.  I didn’t care about the memoirs of the self-absorbed,
fabulously rich and immensely talented siblings, nor about their incestuous
affair.  The alternate world of AntiTerra also failed to generate much
interest.  The only thing which promised hope for this novel was the prospect
of uncovering the “real” story beneath the surface (the “Terrors of Terra”),
which so far no scholar seems to have adequately done. 

I asked the Nabokov list what I was missing, and was answered with a great
silence.  But I did get offlist replies.  One gentleman, the N-list’s gadfly,
said that the success of Lolita had ruined Nabokov, and that no work following
it was any good.  Another long-time regular there agreed that if the surface
story was all there was the book wouldn’t be worth reading.  She was certain
there was a secret story waiting to be discovered.  I think this is a failing
for both books.  But at least PF is short enough to allow one to go over it as
many time as needed to dig into its secrets…

I know many here will disagree with my sentiments.

David Morris 


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