NPPF: Commentary 1 (summary and notes) Lines 376-377, 384, 385-386,

[bekah]

Hi all,

The following is what I came up with.  I am 
nowhere near the league of the esteemed members 
on this list, in fact Brian Boyd's _The Magic of 
Artistic Discovery will only arrive this week. I 
just hope that I not make a complete fool of 
myself. I enjoyed taking a go at it and hope you 
can make something out of my novice notes.

There are 7 medium sized posts.

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Lines 376-377, "was said in English Litt to be"

Shade's poem uses the spelling, "Lit." Kinbote 
probably used the not uncommon additional "t" 
probably out of carelessness. It's a common 
enough abbreviation.

Kinbote is more taken with the draft version, 
"the Head of our Department deemed" because it 
focuses attention on Paul H., Jr.  (Hurley?) who 
apparently became "interested" in Kinbote's 
migraine headaches and later discounted Kinbote's 
ability to edit Shade's poem, going so far as to 
say that Kinbote has a "deranged mind" and 
suggest legal action. Also, Hurley was invested 
in writing the Shade biography before Kinbote 
butted in. Line 71 commentary mentions this, too.

Kinbote thinks that his own commentary will 
change Paul H's mind about Kinbote's sanity and 
his ability to edit the work.

An enigmatic line ends the little section, 
"Southey liked a roasted rat for supper - which 
is especially comic in view of the rats that 
devoured his Bishop." This is apparently a double 
slam; he's referring to Paul H. eating crow and 
that he has been outmatched in the metaphoric 
chess game Kinbote thematically conjures up to 
keep the poem.

Along those lines a question; is this the Bishop 
that the chess sophisticate "go(es) on a wild 
goose chase" to obtain while the naîve 
serendipitously sees and acquires? (I can't find 
where I found that. Probably Brian Boyd's "Shade 
and Shape." 
<http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/boydpf1.htm>) 


But instead of eating crow, Kinbote has Paul H. 
eating a rat. Is this for "ratting" on him?

****************
  Line 384, "book on Pope"

As has been noted, John Shade is a specialist in 
18th century literature with Alexander Pope being 
a specialty. Shade's scholarly work, "Supremely 
Blest," is included in the fictional works at: 
<http://www.invisiblelibrary.com/libauthor4.htm>

The title of Shade's book comes from Pope's 
"Essay on Man," 22nd line of the 2nd Epistle, 
Section VI. Again, and, like "Pale Fire: the 
Poem," "Essay on Man" has 4 Epistles of varying 
lengths, includes explanatory prefaces and is 
written in heroic couplets. (The annotation 
connection with Pope has been previously noted as 
has Kinbote's familiarity with English 
literature.)


****************

Lines 385-386  "Jane Dean, Pete Dean"

These are the fictitious names for Shade's typist 
and her cousin. Kinbote had contact with Jane on 
his escape trip to Cedarn and learned a certain 
amount. So he names and locates them as Jane 
Provost (a nice, high sounding name) of Chicago 
and Peter Provost of Detroit.

I think that it's interesting that Kinbote 
advises us here and elsewhere about his sources. 
If he is not Charles II, he never tells us how he 
comes to know so much about the details of his 
life.

Kinbote says Jane and Peter are innocent, 
presumably in the death of Hazel. Jane set Hazel 
up with Peter for the blind date. Peter 
essentially dumped Hazel saying that he had a 
very urgent appointment with a frat pal. The 
evening ended with Hazel's death. In this 
commentary Kinbote sympathizes with Peter using 
overtly homosexual language and overtones.

Jane has tried to communicate with the Shades, 
particularly Sybil, about the tragedy, but to no 
avail. Kinbote reveals his amazingly clumsy and 
inept manner of dealing in human relationships by 
trying out his new English slang, "You are 
telling me!" In saying that, he's revealing that 
Sybil is not to be assuaged in her grief and that 
he is sympathetic to neither Sybil or Jane.  He's 
also implying to Jane that he has a closer 
relationship with Sybil (and therefore John) than 
actually exists.


Bekah