CANTO ONE: Reflections Of A Silky-Tailed Slain

[charles albert]

Assume for a moment that the bird represents Shade. IF Kinbote and Shade are
one, it would make perfect sense for Shade to assume his own demise, whilst
Kinbote revises it to

"Nah, Guhvneor, it's just stunned. Beautiful plumage, the Norwegian
Blue....er.....I mean, Cedar Waxwing......"

He'd have a hard time commenting otherwise....


love,
cfa

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tim Strzechowski" <dedalus204 at comcast.net>
To: "Pynchon-L" <pynchon-l at waste.org>; "Paul Mackin"
<paul.mackin at verizon.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2003 8:10 AM
Subject: Re: CANTO ONE: Reflections Of A Silky-Tailed Slain


> I disagree.
>
> What the *poet* has chosen for his purposes is "slain."  What the
> *commentator* has *interpreted* (not "corrected") this word as is
"knocking
> itself out."
>
> Keith raises an interesting question: why "slain"? What are the
connotations
> of "slain" vs. "knocking itself out"?  What Shade has done is given us a
> bird that has been "slain / By the false azure in the windowpane," thus
> suggesting its death as more the active recipient of a transparency, of a
> transparent object. Kinbote's interpretation of that death as "knocking
> itself out" transfers the responsibility of death to the waxwing itself, a
> significant (mis)interpretation.
>
> How does this opening couplet, therefore, relate to notions of death and
> responsibility within the context of the entire poem, as well as the
novel?
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Tim S.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Paul Mackin" <paul.mackin at verizon.net>
>
> >
> >
> > Kinbote corrects to "knocking itself out."
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>