Pale Fire

[Malignd]

<<But how can we have a reading of the book if we
don't agree on some rules?>>  Etc.

I think this is a concern without basis.

If one begins (I assume everyone will) with the
Foreword, and follows Kinbote's suggestions (as I
believe one should), one is soon sent to the note to
line 991, which will suggest a trip to the note to
line 47-48, which refers to the note to line 691,
etc.; but one eventually returns to the Foreword.  The
reader is again shortly sent off to the note to line
735, which refers to the poem lines 808-829, more
etc., etc.

Still, one eventually finishes the Foreword and then
on to the poem, which will present reasons for peeking
at a note or two along the way, at the Index as well,
but then to the Commentary and the notes in bulk, etc.
and then the Index as a piece.

In short, even with the hopscotching, a reader will
still proceed in a generally front-to-back fashion and
everything will be revisited by any curious reader in
any case.  This is very rich material and I can't
imagine that any host is going to find his work
rendered unnecessary by earlier visits to his section.




__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!
http://sbc.yahoo.com