Vladimir Nabokov: Pnin

[pontalba]

From the back cover:

Pnin is a professor of Russian at an American college who takes the wrong train to deliver a lecture in a language he cannot master. Pnin is a tireless lover who writes to his treacherous Liza: "A genius needs to keep so much in store, and thus cannot offer you the whole of himself as I do." Pnin is the focal point of subtle academic conspiracies he cannot begin to comprehend, yet he stages a faculty party to end all faculty parties forever.

As in all of Nabokov's novels, there are connections to other of his novels in Pnin. Brian Boyd wrote:

Pnin in a sense represents the best of the Russian emigration.

Pnin is also said to be the most autobiographical of Nabokov's works. As you will see, there are times when Timofey Pnin is in a sense to Nabokov an example of "there but for the grace of God go I". There are puzzles to unravel as well, natch!, this is Nabokov we are reading after all. Who are the narrators? Is there more than one? Or not? We shall see what we shall see.

Please to begin......

Also , please remember:

This Thread Contains Open Discussion of Plot, Spoilers and Endings​

 

[pontalba]

In Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years Brian Boyd remarks that:

Of all Nabokov's novels, Pnin seems the most amusing, the most poignant, the most straightforward: a portrait of a Russian emigre whose difficulties with English and with America make him a comic legend throughout the campus, somewhere in New York State, where he teaches Russian. But the novel soon poses awkward questions. How can we laugh at another person's misfortunes? How can consciousness and conscience exist in a world rife with pain?

Something I was initially surprised at learning was that originally Nabokov intended that Pnin be a serialized, ongoing affair. It was submitted to The New Yorker as such. Sort of a hedge against Lolita failing, or being banned.

 

[steffee]

Great new thread Pontalba!

I'm past the football ball bit in the book now, phew

It is a touch confusing though...

But is it just me that thought referring to a 52-year-old as "elderly" was ? Even teenagers don't think that, do they?

 

[pontalba]

Hi Steffee! Thanks, heres hoping!
You know as far as the calling 52 "elderly", I think its partially a product of the era the book was written. Remember he was writing it in the '50's, and I've noticed that the earlier in the last century a book was written, the earlier someone is called "ancient", "elderly", or something along those lines. But TP was a vital and vibrant man IMO.

The episode that really floored me was the drawing out of all his teeth! But after he came home and healed, it was mentioned that he'd suffered from headaches (possibly for many years) (p.39). But the descriptive powers of VN are, well as always beautiful, even to that horrible event. p.38

It surprised him to realize how fond he had been of his teeth. His tongue, a fat sleek seal, used to flop and slide so happily among the familiar rocks, checking the contours of a battered but still secure kingdom, plunging from cave to cove, climbing this jag, nuzzling that notch, finding a shred of sweet seaweed in the same old cleft; but now not a landmark remained, and all there existed was a great dark wound, a terra incognita of gums which dread and disgust forbade one to investigate.

But he so recovered, and later exclaimed to Lawrence,

"You will be a reformed man like I," cried Pnin.

if only Lawrence would have all of his teeth extracted!

 

[steffee]

I completely missed the teeth bit, so went back to re-read. I guess this won't be the first re-read I do before even finishing the first read lol

Liza says, when Pnin went to meet her, after lunch at "The Egg and We" (hehe, I love it!) "Oh he has splendid new teeth!"

What a way with words.

 

[Breaca]

Hi there fellow Nabokovians - er pulling of teeth, puzzles, narrator(s), the 'Egg and We' - I don't know why I'm surprised we are, after all, living in the land of Nabokovia - the language, the culture - such a lot to explore. I'm off to do a little more exploring but I hope to meet with my fellow explorers over croissants and a latte or two at a later date

 

[Madeline]

The episode that really floored me was the drawing out of all his teeth! But after he came home and healed, it was mentioned that he'd suffered from headaches (possibly for many years) (p.39). But the descriptive powers of VN are, well as always beautiful, even to that horrible event. p.38

But he so recovered, and later exclaimed to Lawrence, if only Lawrence would have all of his teeth extracted!

Since we don't have the very same published book , could we refer to Chapters, sub-chapters because on p.38-39, I have something entirely different.
And Steffee, I missed the pulling of the teeth, but I did read where he hit his head on the park bench because of a headache. (reread for me too)And hehehe, remember President Reagan didn't become pres until he was 70 years old. So, to me, 52 isn't very old...

 

[pontalba]

Hi there fellow Nabokovians - er pulling of teeth, puzzles, narrator(s), the 'Egg and We' - I don't know why I'm surprised we are, after all, living in the land of Nabokovia - the language, the culture - such a lot to explore. I'm off to do a little more exploring but I hope to meet with my fellow explorers over croissants and a latte or two at a later date

Just you toss a couple of those croissants and coffee over thisa way there kiddo!, and dont' forget the butter!

 

[pontalba]

Since we don't have the very same published book , could we refer to Chapters, sub-chapters because on p.38-39, I have something entirely different.
And Steffee, I missed the pulling of the teeth, but I did read where he hit his head on the park bench because of a headache. (reread for me too)And hehehe, remember President Reagan didn't become pres until he was 70 years old. So, to me, 52 isn't very old...

Oh! Of course, good idea. Maybe we could put both so all readers could be on the same page ...terrible pun, but there you are!

 

[pontalba]

I'm past the football ball bit in the book now, phew

It is a touch confusing though...

Did you mean the purchasing of the football, or the exit of said football?
btw, I loved the description in chap 4, actually the very last paragraph of the chapter (p.110)--

Presently all were asleep again. It was a pity nobody saw the display in the emty street, where the auroral breeze wrinkled a large luminoue puddle, making of the telephone wires reflected in it illegible lines of black zigzags.

How reminicent of Pnin's mood, disjointed and unsettled.

 

[steffee]

I meant the purchasing... I'm not much further on than that, and I'm already re-reading

There's tons that I just love, like in Chapter 3.4 "Till 1950 (this was 1953 - how time flies!)" ha ha ha. "he had lovingly Pninized it"

Chapter 4 in my copy goes from p.70 - p.93

 

[pontalba]

Recurrent fevers (as high as 106 degrees F)
Chills
Diffuse muscles aches
Headaches
Nausea and/or vomiting
Diarrhea
Anemia
Jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin or eyes)
Above are some listed symptoms of Malaria, which once one is infected with this disease, it re-occurs at unpredictable intervals. I wonder if this is what Timofey Pnin suffered from. I don't suppose one has to have all of the symptoms listed, and perhaps there are others. When TP is over come on the bench during his wrong train episode it mentions some episodes (Chapter 1, subchapter 2, in my version -p. 21. The dates are:
August 10, 1942
February 15, 1937
May 18, 1929
July 4, 1920

It began when he was 11 years old, with such a high fever that his mother "looked at her child with a kind of stupefaction, and immediately called her husband's best friend, the pediatrician Belochkin." (p22)

Evidently the episodes were reoccurances along with palpatations that no doctor could explain.

 

[steffee]

Wow Pontalba, what a question...

It is true that he had irregular unexplainable bouts of the same symptoms, so it could well be.

Very observant, analytical etc though Pontalba, just great!

 

[pontalba]

That was the only re-occuring (usually) non-fatal disease I could think of at present. There must be more. But it sorta fit. If anyone else can think of another, please post it.

I found it interesting that the narrator calls himself Pnin's physician p.20 (Chap 1, sub 2):

Was his seizure a heart attack? I doubt it. For the nonce I am his physician, and let me repeat, I doubt it.

The narrator seems to try to make Pnin a bit neurotic too, a little later he speaks of Pnin thusly:

.....the cardiograph outlined fabulous mountain ranges and indicated a dozen fatal diseases that excluded one another. He was afraid of touching his own wrist. He never attempted to sleep on his left side, even in those dismal hours of the night when the insomniac longs for a third side after trying the two he has.

Bit of a put down eh?

 

[Madeline]

I believe you are correct.
Malaria

 

[pontalba]

Timofey had at least some of the symptoms listed, both your site Madeline and the site I found, plus he developed the palpatations, which could have been brought on by nerves and stress.

Pnin was really a fine man, in every sense the opposite of Humbert Humbert. Even though Humbert's charm paved his way, and Pnin's clumsiness seemed to thwart his intentions at every turn.

 

[steffee]

How is Pnin pronounced? Is it Puh-neen like I saw somewhere on these forums? Would that make Pninian and Pninized: Puh-neen-ian and Puh-neen-ised respectively. The second syllable has the stress?

 

[pontalba]

Steffee According to this article: http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/02/lifetimes/nab-r-pnin.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

it is pronounced Pnin*pronounced P'neen.

 

[steffee]

Thanks Pontalba. When I first bought this book I pronounced it as Pee-nin, which I realised wasn't very Russian-sounding, especially when I saw the "Dzeefeecultee" bit. It probably doesn't matter but since his name is mentioned a lot throughout the book, I wanted to get it right

 

[Madeline]

Chapter 4 in my copy goes from p.70 - p.93

My copy is Chapter 4, p.61-81, it's really small print.