Nabokov - Day Four

Nabokov - 12 Lectures on Literature (that he likes) – Jane Austin, Charles Dickens, Madame Bauvoire, Author of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, Kafka's “Metamorphosis”.....scan a couple of pictures from his book an put on their website.....Sam volunteered
The opening statements to James Joyce's “Ulysses”.... we will study why Nabokov was so interested in this novel
The literary critic (who is in the youtube video with Nabokov on Lolita) wrote, “Gifted Imagination” (I believe that is the title)....
There is a youtube of Nabokov teaching one of his classes too.... he begins lecturing on Kafka's “Metamorphosis”, and how the first fiction came around when the boy cried wolf... absolutely NO truth in what he was saying.

Sexson is now talking about how we need to move beyond the importance of truth in our world today. Truth doesn't matter because we'll never reach full truth anyway, so why not go all the way into the opposite direction.

Sexson is now reading the beginning of the introduction to Lolita.
“A good reader is a re-reader.”

Book being passed around the class: Style is Matter, The Moral Art of Vladimir Nabokov, Leland De La Durantaye

Nabokov is not modest. He is very egotistical about himself and his work. He is the master artists.... he is a godlike presence in the book itself. He does not dissappear.... he says you should try and find the intentions, look for what the author wants you to find.... he wants you to trip, take a trip.... and fall into the trap where he wants you to fall into the trap...

The primary definition of the artist is: The Enchanter.

People like the idea of “The Alchemist” because they are drawn to the didactic ideas put within it. Even though it's not that good of a book, there are many others out there that do what “The Alchemist” is trying to do much better than it does.

Reaching “The Enchanter” level of an author makes us begin to look at the style of the writer, appreciating the magic and figuring out the tricks.

“The heroes of the book are artistic experiments and created instructions.”

Magic, Story, Lesson..... the pieces to a master author

Nabokov says, “The precision of the poet and the intuition of the scientist” - That's how to read my friend.

Story telling is not an embelishment..... Brian Boyd tells us that the arts and humanities are the most important thing to learn, live, and love. It is not a waste of time.

“We need stories more than we need buildings and bridges.” - Sexson …. Bridges can only get you to from here to there. Stories can get you from here to Oz.

Chapter 6 is the ultimate novel in the book, “Speak, Memory”. If you read only one chapter in the book, read Chapter 6.

Next semester Sexson will be teaching the capstone class and focusing on epiphanie's, being touched by the divine.
You can come up with epiphanies if you have read: William Wordsworth, Emily Dickinsen, or James Joyce.
People become obsessed with “Speak, Memory” because they can flip to anywhere in it to find something that relates to their feelings, and instructions on art.... they take it everywhere with them.

“Lolita” takes place in the 1940's, even though it was published in the 1950's.

Nabokov loved Edgar Allen Poe, for many different reasons, loved the rhythm of “The Raven”

Another book being passed around: “On the Origin of Stories”: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction by Brian Boyd

Important quote from the back of this prior book: “Then we must consider, as Boyd suggests we do, the difference between solving a problem and picturing a chance of solving a problem – and imagine what it would mean not to be able to do the second.” -Michael Wood, Princeton University (this touched me)

I just read the caption that Jana left below her picture from her parents. She is talking about the mysterious nature of the photograph, things that have disappeared and maybe never were.

Talked also about Helena Lafave and Aaron Belaire's picture.

“In search of lost time....” It haunts major writers.... Joyce, Nabokov, Shakespeare.... how to we bring into fruition the things that have been irretrievably lost.... through a photo?..... through artful remembrance that is available to us only by as much as we are capable of using our words

We are now talking about Chapter 5 and the beauty given to it.

The relationship of death to photography.


THE POWER OF FACEBOOK TO GIVE YOU IMMORTALITY. EVEN IF YOU DIE, YOU WILL NOT BE TAKEN OFF A FACEBOOK. YOU AND YOUR MEMORIES WILL LIVE ON FOR OTHERS TO READ.

The task of the artist seems to be that you must sometimes kill beauty to represent it. (To hold a butterfly and it's beauty, you must kill it in a bag with chloroform and then pin it to something.)

Reading now from pg 138, Chapter 6 in “Speak, Memory”.... The magic carpet ride.... The epiphanic moment for Nabokov


Read Lolita over the weekend.... 3 times ;)