I liked Shelby’s use of the mandala as an image for working with Pale Fire, as the idea of concentrically nested shapes fits well with the multiple levels of interpretation of the text. It seems that with Pale Fire, each time a new level of understanding is uncovered, many additional pathways open up which in turn lead to deeper levels of comprehension. This is similar to the concept of the mandala in which an individual may enter inside the realm of one shape, but there will still be innumerably more shapes that have yet to be penetrated. In Pale Fire, there is no center of the mandala, as the concentric shapes and levels of understanding continue on into infinity. Perhaps this is why Nabokov preferred the image of the spiral to that of the circle, as a circle is limited – eventually one will end up where he or she started. A spiral, on the other hand, is endless, and even though one’s path may pass near a previously visited locale, no one place is ever visited twice. It seems that the mandala, then, can be interpreted as another representation of the spiral, a fractal pattern in which one shape, one pathway, ultimately leads to a multitude of others. This is part of the beauty with Pale Fire, as no matter how closely the text is read, there will always be more discoveries to make.
As a final note, I just like to again thank Dr. Sexson and all of my classmates for making this seminar such a challenging and rewarding experience. This class has shown me that “reading in” to a text is really all we can do, and that making connections to other works and our own life experiences is ultimately what makes the reading of difficult works so enjoyable. I believe that this class has given me a greater ability to think critically about things that at first may seem to be beside the point. It is, after all, the details that have the greatest ability to influence us and to the shape our way of thinking. Thanks again everyone for a great semester!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Day 3 Presentation Comments
I thought that Morgan’s alphabet book was quite an ingenious and fitting idea for a project on Pale Fire. It’s obvious that Nabokov sees significance in words and letters, judging by all of the alphabetized names and wordplay in Pale Fire. It also seems like many of the letters are in fact the first names of characters in the novel, almost as if Nabokov wanted to cover as many of the letters as possible. I wouldn’t put such intentions past a literary genius. If I remember right, the class was having trouble coming up with “I” words for you alphabet book. I’ve got one suggestion, although it is not a name specific to Pale Fire: you could use “infinite,” as the levels of reading the novel seem to be unlimited, and, as Dustin discussed, the human experience is one of multiple infinities. The word infinite is used in consecutive lines in the poem (122 and 123) as well. Also, you could use “immortality,” as immortality (especially in its relation to Hazel) is another important theme in the novel.
The connections that Isabel discovered between the Alder tree and Pale Fire were quite interesting as well. Isabel mentioned that green and red dye can be made out of the Alder tree, which is significant because green and red have substantial symbolic meaning in the novel. As Mary McCarthy points out in her essay, the traditional connotative associations of red and green are reversed in Pale Fire. In the novel, red is the color of salvation and green is the color of evil and pursuit, as Kinbote is saved by all of his supporters wearing red hats that are identical to his while two of Kinbote’s enemy’s, the extremist leader Uzumondov and the professor Emerald, are always described wearing green. It’s probably not a coincidence then that Nabokov includes Alder trees in the novel when they supply dyes of the complementary colors of red and green. This juxtaposition of opposites seems to occur often in Pale Fire, and the red vs. green idea can be connected to the Kinbote vs. Shade contrast – a topic large enough for its own entire paper.
Maria’s discovery as to the origin of Kinbote’s persona is fascinating. It was interesting to learn that several of Kinbote’s characteristics are identical to those of the four Scandinavian kings during the time that Nabokov wrote Pale Fire. Nabokov must have certainly been familiar with the Scandinavian kings at the time, and these connections with Kinbote’s description cannot be a coincidence. It’s a little surprising to learn that Nabokov would draw inspiration from actual people, though, as he claimed in one of his written interviews that none of his characters were “based” off of anyone in particular in real life. This specific instance, however, seems to be a little different. It is not so much that Nabokov created Kinbote specifically as a result of being inspired by the kings, but rather the character Kinbote was already conceived and Nabokov added in some of the traits of the current kings to reward the astute reader. This is yet another example of Nabokov hiding tiny gems in the text for the pleasure of his followers.
I thought Dustin’s discussion on the “formalism” method of criticism was especially appropriate for Pale Fire. Kinbote definitely follows this formalist model, as he gives the form of Zembla to Shade’s poem even though Shade had no intentions of involving the distant northern land in his poem. Kinbote’s criticism is valid nonetheless, as the poem itself is more important than Shade’s thoughts on it, even though Shade is the creator. It is what each individual reader in the audience sees in the poem that is important, and Kinbote happens to see references to his homeland all throughout the poem. Even though it is possible to take this type of commentary a little too far, I think Dustin’s formalist method is legitimate, as it is the audience that a work is ultimately trying to involve. The audience may or may not have the same interpretation as the author or poet, but what ultimately matters is that readers formulate their own connections to the text and draw from it a unique interpretation.
The connections that Isabel discovered between the Alder tree and Pale Fire were quite interesting as well. Isabel mentioned that green and red dye can be made out of the Alder tree, which is significant because green and red have substantial symbolic meaning in the novel. As Mary McCarthy points out in her essay, the traditional connotative associations of red and green are reversed in Pale Fire. In the novel, red is the color of salvation and green is the color of evil and pursuit, as Kinbote is saved by all of his supporters wearing red hats that are identical to his while two of Kinbote’s enemy’s, the extremist leader Uzumondov and the professor Emerald, are always described wearing green. It’s probably not a coincidence then that Nabokov includes Alder trees in the novel when they supply dyes of the complementary colors of red and green. This juxtaposition of opposites seems to occur often in Pale Fire, and the red vs. green idea can be connected to the Kinbote vs. Shade contrast – a topic large enough for its own entire paper.
Maria’s discovery as to the origin of Kinbote’s persona is fascinating. It was interesting to learn that several of Kinbote’s characteristics are identical to those of the four Scandinavian kings during the time that Nabokov wrote Pale Fire. Nabokov must have certainly been familiar with the Scandinavian kings at the time, and these connections with Kinbote’s description cannot be a coincidence. It’s a little surprising to learn that Nabokov would draw inspiration from actual people, though, as he claimed in one of his written interviews that none of his characters were “based” off of anyone in particular in real life. This specific instance, however, seems to be a little different. It is not so much that Nabokov created Kinbote specifically as a result of being inspired by the kings, but rather the character Kinbote was already conceived and Nabokov added in some of the traits of the current kings to reward the astute reader. This is yet another example of Nabokov hiding tiny gems in the text for the pleasure of his followers.
I thought Dustin’s discussion on the “formalism” method of criticism was especially appropriate for Pale Fire. Kinbote definitely follows this formalist model, as he gives the form of Zembla to Shade’s poem even though Shade had no intentions of involving the distant northern land in his poem. Kinbote’s criticism is valid nonetheless, as the poem itself is more important than Shade’s thoughts on it, even though Shade is the creator. It is what each individual reader in the audience sees in the poem that is important, and Kinbote happens to see references to his homeland all throughout the poem. Even though it is possible to take this type of commentary a little too far, I think Dustin’s formalist method is legitimate, as it is the audience that a work is ultimately trying to involve. The audience may or may not have the same interpretation as the author or poet, but what ultimately matters is that readers formulate their own connections to the text and draw from it a unique interpretation.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Day 2 presentation comments
I thought Nels did a great job in his presentation of applying science to the texts that we have read throughout the class. His interpretation of the complicated chemical reactions that synthesize organic molecules is not unlike that of an artist who creates meaning out of the seemingly random characteristics of nature. In both cases, the scientist/artist takes something that is originally meaningless and produces a work of beauty. And without both the artist and the scientist, we as humans would be lost in the chaos of our surroundings.
Ashley’s presentation was exemplary in all regards, and one aspect that I found quite interesting was the alternate interpretation of Hazel’s message in the barn. As we had previously discussed in class, the jumbled message repeats the word “atalanta” several times, which serves to solidify Hazel’s status as a Vanessa atalanta butterfly after her death. Ashley found another way to read the message that consists of Hazel warning her father not to go to the house of the crazy commentator (Kinbote), as this is the event that leads to Shade’s murder. Indeed, if read aloud the message does sound vaguely like a warning to a father, with words like “pada” (padre or papa), “ata” (ought), “not,” and “ogo” (go). Like almost everything else in Pale Fire, it appears that Hazel’s cryptic message is subject to multiple interpretations.
Bizz and Jenny’s portrait of Shade and Kinbote was outstanding! It was packed with symbolic significance to Pale Fire, and the more I looked at it the more details I caught that were direct references to the text. I liked especially how the center of the painting was a mirror of sorts that reflected Shade and Kinbote. This is not a normal mirror, however, as what is on one side is partially distorted on the other side. For example, Kinbote and Shade have some characteristics in common (such as that they are both interested in literature), but are exact opposites in many other ways (such as that Kinbote is erect and handsome while Shade is hunched over and ugly). Similarly, I thought it fitting that Bizz and Jenny’s painting portrayed a sun on one side and a moon on the other, as the sun and moon are often seen as opposites even though their light is derived from the same source (the sun). This image further establishes the mirror’s status as an agent of both reflection and distortion.
Bizz’s diagram of dyslexia was quite relevant, as I can see similarities between the thought process of a dyslexic and the manner in which we read Pale Fire. In both instances, confusing material is presented to the reader, which ultimately leads to rickety conclusions. It appears that the conclusion reached by the reader the first time can send him or her either way in comprehending the text. If the initial conclusion is close to the “right” one, the reader will get progressively closer with each repetition of the cycle, but if the first conclusion is totally off-base, each new cycle will lead the reader on an ever widening spiral away from the correct interpretation. Thus, whether we like to admit it or not, our reading process of a difficult text is similar to that of a dyslexic in that our initial impressions play an important role in understanding the material.
Jenny’s presentation on the different variations of chess was interesting, and I was excited to learn that there is a type of chess called ultima chess. My paper topic is on Zembla’s role as an ultima thule, so I will have to look up some further information on this variety of chess. Jenny mentioned that in ultima chess, the positions of the white king and queen are reversed. This could in some way be related to Kinbote, the exiled Zemblan king, as he seems to have traits more fitting for a queen than a king (the most obvious being his homosexuality). If this is so, the fact that the white, and not the black, king and queen are reversed is appropriate, as I envision Kinbote as white (clean appearance, religiously pure) and Shade as black (not religious, shades and shadows are dark).
Ashley’s presentation was exemplary in all regards, and one aspect that I found quite interesting was the alternate interpretation of Hazel’s message in the barn. As we had previously discussed in class, the jumbled message repeats the word “atalanta” several times, which serves to solidify Hazel’s status as a Vanessa atalanta butterfly after her death. Ashley found another way to read the message that consists of Hazel warning her father not to go to the house of the crazy commentator (Kinbote), as this is the event that leads to Shade’s murder. Indeed, if read aloud the message does sound vaguely like a warning to a father, with words like “pada” (padre or papa), “ata” (ought), “not,” and “ogo” (go). Like almost everything else in Pale Fire, it appears that Hazel’s cryptic message is subject to multiple interpretations.
Bizz and Jenny’s portrait of Shade and Kinbote was outstanding! It was packed with symbolic significance to Pale Fire, and the more I looked at it the more details I caught that were direct references to the text. I liked especially how the center of the painting was a mirror of sorts that reflected Shade and Kinbote. This is not a normal mirror, however, as what is on one side is partially distorted on the other side. For example, Kinbote and Shade have some characteristics in common (such as that they are both interested in literature), but are exact opposites in many other ways (such as that Kinbote is erect and handsome while Shade is hunched over and ugly). Similarly, I thought it fitting that Bizz and Jenny’s painting portrayed a sun on one side and a moon on the other, as the sun and moon are often seen as opposites even though their light is derived from the same source (the sun). This image further establishes the mirror’s status as an agent of both reflection and distortion.
Bizz’s diagram of dyslexia was quite relevant, as I can see similarities between the thought process of a dyslexic and the manner in which we read Pale Fire. In both instances, confusing material is presented to the reader, which ultimately leads to rickety conclusions. It appears that the conclusion reached by the reader the first time can send him or her either way in comprehending the text. If the initial conclusion is close to the “right” one, the reader will get progressively closer with each repetition of the cycle, but if the first conclusion is totally off-base, each new cycle will lead the reader on an ever widening spiral away from the correct interpretation. Thus, whether we like to admit it or not, our reading process of a difficult text is similar to that of a dyslexic in that our initial impressions play an important role in understanding the material.
Jenny’s presentation on the different variations of chess was interesting, and I was excited to learn that there is a type of chess called ultima chess. My paper topic is on Zembla’s role as an ultima thule, so I will have to look up some further information on this variety of chess. Jenny mentioned that in ultima chess, the positions of the white king and queen are reversed. This could in some way be related to Kinbote, the exiled Zemblan king, as he seems to have traits more fitting for a queen than a king (the most obvious being his homosexuality). If this is so, the fact that the white, and not the black, king and queen are reversed is appropriate, as I envision Kinbote as white (clean appearance, religiously pure) and Shade as black (not religious, shades and shadows are dark).
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