Love the irony of the Bernie shirt as background to Nabokov’s sentiments on workers revolution 🙄hopefully this latest Russian incursion into the world scene can be halted. Build back better certainly deferred and American politics in decline, but back to part 3… you’ve payed out the reader’s task and it is daunting. My plan of attack is we leave Los Cabos Friday for March in Palm Dessert (tough job but someone has to do it). Will put aside Archer, Rebus, St. Ives and Archie/Nero for the moment, and around March madness and my mid month 73 birthday 🥳 Popeyes meal, will tackle Pale Fire. Thanks again for preparing and encouraging this heavy tub 🛁 experiment, hope not glug glug in the tub. Will let you know🍸
that transcendent vision you talk about is evinced throughout Nabokov's career in his stories. His stories blow me away (SOME of his stories blow me away, some are ho-hum or maybe I just don't get em).
Thanks for all that, Linville. I know how you feel about ADA, I found it hard going a couple times, but will take it into the bathtub again eventually... and you're right, we passed 2000! Which means I need to assemble the dancing girls and marching band, and will get the "spectacular" taped and up soon! Scott
Great, reread Pale Fire...I'll give it a shot if I have the strength. PS: Sorry to notice that so few people watch these talks because they are great while many channels on You Tube have much more viewers, they are all shallow...
Along with Lolita and a few of Nabokov's stories, Martin Amis has included Despair among his favorites by the man, calling these "immortal". Pale Fire is placed second tier. Despair is hilarious, and Hermann is a sick, sick man whom N. relegated to Hell, without the possibility of the occasional vacation furlough allowed Humbert Humbert.
I like a lot of those early novels, esp. King Queen Knave and more than any of them, Laughter in the Dark. I don't recall Despair but will schedule it for the bathtub soon... S
very cool podcast! i thought i had run out of james m. cain books, but i found a collection, "three by cain" at a garage sale. it seemed somewhat a collection of cain's novellas (they don't really seem to be short stories). i'm in the middle of SERENADE right now, and in my opinion, by far his greatest work. i can't wrap my head around WHY this novella is not one of the classic MGM films noir?!!! i guess it was never made into a classic noir film by MGM because of the homosexual undercurrent and the whole rape-on-the-altar thing. but i cannot tell you enough how glad i am to have found your podcast - i've been making notes of my observations while reading SERENADE, and you've totally totally totally proven me correct! i had a feeling that WINSTON HAWES had ulterior motives, but i just got to the 'you love a man' part btwn juana and john in the apartment - dying to get home to finish the rest. one small quibble tho: it seems to me john howard sharp is not at all homosexual, but rather a fellow prostitute, working alongside juana - he admits he 'did what he had to do' to make a living, but like juana, he's grossed out by the details of the operation - john is GAY-FOR-PAY. this subtle 'leveling of the playing field' by cain seems a far more important main idea than the red herring readers what readers cling to, that EVERY GUY is 5% gay - what do you think? in any case i'm going to let everyone know about this fabulous podcast - they don't know what they're missing last point - PLEASE answer my prayers, masterbather, and do an episode based on MURIEL SPARK ! in my opinion, her best novel is THE GIRLS of SLENDER MEANS o.k. - thanks! sincerely, JES ####
Thanks, Jack, for such a spirited response. But put some clothes on, will you? We're not in the bathtub every minute of the day! I wish I could give you just as spirited a reply to your questions, but the only heartfelt reply is probably: If you're asking yourself lots of questions about the characters and who they are then the writer must be doing their job! I like Serenade too-it's a strange one. But I like most of Cain, especially Mildred Pierce, which I'd like to reread in the bathtub some day. Stay safe with great books. And if you want a free lifetime membership to the International Bathing Alliance, just give me a location, and permission to put your name on a Google Map! You will be instantly inundated with great readerly vibes from all over the world!
Congratulations Master Bather! I just noticed that the bathtub now contains 2000 survivors of the shipwreck of this the most recent deluge of crap. Rereading Pale Fire; so I looked this up. I realized that I had not watched this through because when it originally was posted I was reading PF the first time. Actually it was my second reading of the book. The first reading drowned me. I did not get it at all. So this is read three. (You mentioned Ada last vid. I tried twice to read IT but could not get more than about a hundred pages in. Maybe I'll try again. What do you think of it, Ada; up thumb or down?
Yeah that's the one being told by ghosts, I think. I need to reread it eventually. Read Laughter in the Dark if you're new to Nabokov, or Lolita, those are his best reads overall.
@@Scottmbradfield But I think THE GIFT is the novel we'd have to hand to Aliens if they came down and asked for one novel that demonstrates the most literary 'moves' the most effectivefly. Great review!
Love the irony of the Bernie shirt as background to Nabokov’s sentiments on workers revolution 🙄hopefully this latest Russian incursion into the world scene can be halted. Build back better certainly deferred and American politics in decline, but back to part 3… you’ve payed out the reader’s task and it is daunting. My plan of attack is we leave Los Cabos Friday for March in Palm Dessert (tough job but someone has to do it). Will put aside Archer, Rebus, St. Ives and Archie/Nero for the moment, and around March madness and my mid month 73 birthday 🥳 Popeyes meal, will tackle Pale Fire. Thanks again for preparing and encouraging this heavy tub 🛁 experiment, hope not glug glug in the tub. Will let you know🍸
Just keep your head above water, Larry, and you should be ok! S
that transcendent vision you talk about is evinced throughout Nabokov's career in his stories. His stories blow me away (SOME of his stories blow me away, some are ho-hum or maybe I just don't get em).
Thanks for all that, Linville. I know how you feel about ADA, I found it hard going a couple times, but will take it into the bathtub again eventually... and you're right, we passed 2000! Which means I need to assemble the dancing girls and marching band, and will get the "spectacular" taped and up soon! Scott
Great, reread Pale Fire...I'll give it a shot if I have the strength.
PS: Sorry to notice that so few people watch these talks because they are great while many channels on You Tube have much more viewers, they are all shallow...
Along with Lolita and a few of Nabokov's stories, Martin Amis has included Despair among his favorites by the man, calling these "immortal". Pale Fire is placed second tier. Despair is hilarious, and Hermann is a sick, sick man whom N. relegated to Hell, without the possibility of the occasional vacation furlough allowed Humbert Humbert.
I like a lot of those early novels, esp. King Queen Knave and more than any of them, Laughter in the Dark. I don't recall Despair but will schedule it for the bathtub soon... S
Had forgotten K, Q, K ! Excellent. I totally trilled to that book. I have read it only once, but it is on a shelf in another town. I must reread it.
very cool podcast! i thought i had run out of james m. cain books, but i found a collection, "three by cain" at a garage sale. it seemed somewhat a collection of cain's novellas (they don't really seem to be short stories). i'm in the middle of SERENADE right now, and in my opinion, by far his greatest work.
i can't wrap my head around WHY this novella is not one of the classic MGM films noir?!!!
i guess it was never made into a classic noir film by MGM because of the homosexual undercurrent and the whole rape-on-the-altar thing.
but i cannot tell you enough how glad i am to have found your podcast - i've been making notes of my observations while reading SERENADE, and you've totally totally totally proven me correct!
i had a feeling that WINSTON HAWES had ulterior motives, but i just got to the 'you love a man' part btwn juana and john in the apartment - dying to get home to finish the rest.
one small quibble tho: it seems to me john howard sharp is not at all homosexual, but rather a fellow prostitute, working alongside juana - he admits he 'did what he had to do' to make a living, but like juana, he's grossed out by the details of the operation - john is GAY-FOR-PAY. this subtle 'leveling of the playing field' by cain seems a far more important main idea than the red herring readers what readers cling to, that EVERY GUY is 5% gay - what do you think?
in any case i'm going to let everyone know about this fabulous podcast - they don't know what they're missing
last point - PLEASE answer my prayers, masterbather, and do an episode based on MURIEL SPARK ! in my opinion, her best novel is THE GIRLS of SLENDER MEANS
o.k. - thanks!
sincerely,
JES
####
Thanks, Jack, for such a spirited response. But put some clothes on, will you? We're not in the bathtub every minute of the day! I wish I could give you just as spirited a reply to your questions, but the only heartfelt reply is probably: If you're asking yourself lots of questions about the characters and who they are then the writer must be doing their job! I like Serenade too-it's a strange one. But I like most of Cain, especially Mildred Pierce, which I'd like to reread in the bathtub some day. Stay safe with great books. And if you want a free lifetime membership to the International Bathing Alliance, just give me a location, and permission to put your name on a Google Map! You will be instantly inundated with great readerly vibes from all over the world!
I forgot Pnin. Another of Amis' Immortals
Congratulations Master Bather! I just noticed that the bathtub now contains 2000 survivors of the shipwreck of this the most recent deluge of crap. Rereading Pale Fire; so I looked this up. I realized that I had not watched this through because when it originally was posted I was reading PF the first time. Actually it was my second reading of the book. The first reading drowned me. I did not get it at all. So this is read three. (You mentioned Ada last vid. I tried twice to read IT but could not get more than about a hundred pages in. Maybe I'll try again. What do you think of it, Ada; up thumb or down?
I'm just starting to watch the video, but have you read his Transparent Things? I like it a lot, though it's certainly not his greatest book.
Yeah that's the one being told by ghosts, I think. I need to reread it eventually. Read Laughter in the Dark if you're new to Nabokov, or Lolita, those are his best reads overall.
@@Scottmbradfield
But I think THE GIFT is the novel we'd have to hand to Aliens if they came down and asked for one novel that demonstrates the most literary 'moves' the most effectivefly.
Great review!
Interesting, I have heard many people say THE GIFT is their favorite, but I had trouble getting through it (as with ADA) but will try again! s