NPPF&VLVL2 Preliminaries: The Epigraphs

[jbor]

>>>> All in all, I think Nabokov's choice of this particular quote is meant to
> poke fun at Boswell *and* Johnson, their relationship, their pretensions,
> the text generated therefrom and so forth, *as well as* at Kinbote *and*
> Shade and theirs.<<<

on 11/7/03 12:56 PM, s~Z wrote:

> Historian Thomas Macaulay (1800-1859) called Boswell's worship of Dr.
> Johnson "Lues Boswelliana, or disease of admiration."

Pynchon's satiric depiction of the relationship between Boswell and Johnson
in _M&D_ has some affinities with the similarly satiric purport of Nabokov's
chosen epigraph. There are also similarities in the parodic mirroring of
Boswell and Johnson in Kinbote and Shade, and in Cherrycoke and M & D.

718.4 Some horrible Boswell pursues them, asking questions.

746.1 " ... he intends to go to the Hebrides, to the furthest Isle ... "

747.21 "I had my Boswell, once," Mason tells Boswell, "Dixon and I. We
    had a joint Boswell. Preacher nam'd Cherrycoke. Scribbling everything
    down, just like you, Sir. Have you," twirling his Hand in Ellipses,--
    "you know, ever...had one yourself? If I'm not prying."
       "Had one what?"
       "Hum...a Boswell, Sir,-- I mean, of your own. Well you couldn't
    very well call him that, being one yourself,-- say, a sort of Shadow
    ever in the Room who has haunted you, preserving your ev'ry spoken
    remark,-- "

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