NPPF From the Nabokov-List

[Paul Mackin]

In a few years young Jackson can assume the Dmitri role on the p-list.

P


On Mon, 2003-09-15 at 10:11, David Morris wrote:
> 
> Yeah, I was just going to post this here myself.  I seem to have struck a nerve
> from here all the way over to the N-List, with Dimitri rushing to his father's
> defense (and with everyone gleefully repeating my typo [sic] - Childish, no?).
> 
> The N-List (but not its moderator) is dominated by worshippers who bristle at
> the smallest criticism of Nabokov.  If there position was so undeniably secure
> one would think a little comment posted to the PYNCHON List wouldn't cause such
> a stir and would be easily ignored!  Pardon me if I don't think Nabokov is the
> greatest author ever and above any reproach.  I love most of his early work up
> to and including Lolita, but I have only pale admiration for Pale Fire and even
> less for Ada, because both of these later works fail to make me "care" (and
> we've discussed what this means before) much about their main characters.  The
> puzzle of Pale Fire keeps me interested up to a degree, but the wildly rich and
> intellectually superior characters of Van & Ada leave me cold, despite their
> mastery and play with language.  And if, as I suspect, Ada contains a puzzle
> similar to that in Pale Fire, the length of the book discourages me from trying
> to solve it (which wouldn't be the case if the story had been more compelling).
> 
> 
> 
> --- sZ <keithsz at concentric.net> wrote:
> > >From Dmitri Nabokov
> > Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2003 9:33 AM
> > 
> > I know we shall all be grateful to David Morris for finally unmasking VN as
> > a liguistic [sic] showoff. I, personally, would be grateful if he would
> > illustrate his vision with a few specific instances. That would help me read
> > my father with a new perspective, and finally give me insight into locutions
> > whose meaning, it seems, has escaped me ever since, when I was  fourteen, he
> > first gave me a novel of his to read. It was Bend Sinister and, naïvely, I
> > thought I understood most of it, partly because I was then studying
> > Shakespeare. When I was stumped, he was always ready to expain, but, since
> > Mr. Morris has at last established that Father was little more than a
> > nacissistic nobody, I see now why he never once owned up to having said
> > something for the sake of showing off.  Live and learn. While he's at it,
> > Mr. Morris might clarify his assessment of "so many quotes" from VN.
> > 
> > With utmost respect for such perspicacity,
> > 
> > Dmitri Nabokov
> > 
> 
> 
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