Mentioned Quote by Vladimir Nabokov
““For the benefit of your research people, I would like to mention (so as to avoid any duplication of labor): that the planet is very like Mars; that at least seventeen states have Pinedales; that the end of the top paragraph Galley 3 is an allusion to the famous "canals" (or, more correctly, "channels") of Schiaparelli (and Percival Lowell); that I have thoroughly studied the habits of chinchillas; that Charrete is old French and should have one "t"; that Boke's source on Galley 9 is accurate; that "Lancelotik" is not a Celtic diminutive but a Slavic one; that "Betelgeuze" is correctly spelled with a "z", not an "s" as some dictionaries have it; that the "Indigo" Knight is the result of some of my own research; that Sir Grummore, mentioned both in Le Morte Darthur ad in Amadis de Gaul, was a Scotsman; that L'Eau Grise is a scholarly pun; and that neither bludgeons nor blandishments will make me give up the word "hobnailnobbing".””
About This Quote
Source Letter: Academic correspondence, 1930s, private manuscript
The writer lists numerous scholarly corrections and observations, emphasizing meticulous attention to detail and the importance of precision in research.
In simple terms: Exactness in scholarship matters.
Key Takeaway
Check facts and cite correctly.
Themes
scholarship
precision
ling
literary criticism
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
explanatory
instructional
When to use this quote
- academic writing
- editing
- peer review
- historical analysis
Key Concepts
philology
etymology
historical research
intertextuality
Questions to Reflect On
- What details are essential versus trivial?
- How does precision affect overall argument?
A Different Perspective
Over‑focus on minutiae can stall broader insight.
![“...under no circumstances would he [Humbert Humbert] have interfered with the innocence of a child, if there was the least risk of a row.” quote by Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0f0/vladimir-nabokov-198_children_under-no-circumstances-would-he-humbert_16228.jpg)
