May 28,
2012: “Referential”
by Lorrie Moore
If it weren’t
for the Q&A
with Lorrie Moore I would not have known that this story by Lorrie Moore is
derivative (Moore uses the word “homage”) of “Signs and Symbols” by Vladimir
Nabokov, a story published in the magazine in 1948. Although that story is a
starting point, Moore seems to be going somewhere else with it, although I can’t
say that for sure having not read the original. (This story is behind the
paywall.)
Moore’s
story is about a widow whose teenage son is institutionalized because he is a
danger to himself, and has been for a long time. It isn’t always clear why kids
are like that, and it’s not clear in this case, although his father died when
he was young. For the past several years, the mother has been in a relationship
with Peter, who is something of a step-father to the boy, but the boy’s
deepening trouble appears to have been too much for Peter to handle and he’s
been pulling away. In this story, the separation is nearly complete. And yet
the mother wants to bring the boy home—an act, it seems to me, that could have
only one result. And maybe that’s what she really wants.
The story is
short and readable, but not, for me, as good as many other Moore stories I’ve
read. If anyone has read the Nabokov, I’d love to hear comments about it.
4 comments:
The Nabokov story actually isn't behind the paywall:
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1948/05/15/1948_05_15_031_TNY_CARDS_000214135
It's a fantastic story, one of his best, in my opinion. Note that the story was published under the title, "Symbols and Signs" in the magazine, but Nabokov changed it to "Signs and Symbols" when he published it in his own collection. There were a few minor editorial changes, I believe (paragraph breaks or a couple added sentences), but the one on TNY website is pretty much the same story, for all intents and purposes.
I haven't read the Lorrie Moore, but I'll be sure to pick up a copy when it hits newstands. I really like Moore a lot, and I'm curious to see what she's done with one of my favorite stories as a direct model. Nabokov is a writer I wouldn't ordinarily think of as an influence of hers.
Jay, thanks for the comments about the Nabokov story and for the link. I look forward to reading it.
Here is what I wrote in my blog about the Nabokov story:
Parents of an "incurably deranged" son purchase an "innocent trifle" to take to their son in the "sanitarium" only to arrive to find out that he has again attempted suicide. They are turned away because their visit "might disturb him."
In this 3rd person POV story, it is all telling or narration. We do not see the boy in the hospital. A distance is maintained but instead we see people who must somehow move about in the world. They are still alive and attempt to understand and find the smallest pleasures. It is a really great story about just putting one foot in front of the other no matter how horrible the world is.
After this story, Nabokov published several dozen more stories at the New Yorker. And, evidently, the story was also sometimes titled, "Signs and Symbols."
FAVORITE SENTENCE: "Still reading, he ate the victuals that needed no teeth."
I'd be interested in your take on the story once you've had a chance to read Nabokov's. I guess Moore's certainly is an homage because it was quite interesting for me to re-read Nabokov's piece and see how it is 'explicitly' inspired, as Moore put it in her interview. (And thanks for your weekly notes on New Yorker stories; your 'reviews' in addition to the magazine's author interviews can be quite helpful in better appreciating some pieces.)
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