--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dear dad, in consequence of a trivial…" description: "\"“Dear dad, in consequence of a trivial altercation with a Captain Tapper, of Wild Violet Lodge, whom I happened to step upon in the corridor of a train..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/vladimir-nabokov-198_quote_dear-dad-in-consequence-of-a-trivial-alt_1696280.jpg" --- # Dear dad, in consequence of a trivial altercation with a… ![“Dear dad, in consequence of a trivial altercation with a Captain Tapper, of Wild Violet Lodge, whom I happened to step upon in the corridor of a train, I had a pistol duel this morning in the woods near Kalugano and am now no more. Though the manner of my end can be regarded as a kind of easy…” quote by Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/vladimir-nabokov-198_quote_dear-dad-in-consequence-of-a-trivial-alt_1696280.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/vladimir-nabokov-198_quote_dear-dad-in-consequence-of-a-trivial-alt_1696280.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/vladimir-nabokov-198_quote_dear-dad-in-consequence-of-a-trivial-alt_1696280.jpg) > ““Dear dad, in consequence of a trivial altercation with a Captain Tapper, of Wild Violet Lodge, whom I happened to step upon in the corridor of a train, I had a pistol duel this morning in the woods near Kalugano and am now no more. Though the manner of my end can be regarded as a kind of easy suicide, the encounter and the ineffable Captain are in no way connected with the Sorrows of Young Veen. In 1884, during my first summer in Ardis, I seduced your daughter, who was then twelve. Our torrid affair lasted till my return to Riverlane; it was resumed last June, four years later. That happiness has been the greatest event in my life, and I have no regrets. Yesterday, though, I discovered she had been unfaithful to me, so we parted. Tapper, I think, may be the chap who was thrown out of one of your gaming clubs for attempting oral intercourse with the washroom attendant, a toothless old cripple, veteran of the first Crimean War. Lots of flowers, please! Your loving son, Van He carefully reread his letter – and carefully tore it up. The note he finally placed in his coat pocket was much briefer. Dad, I had a trivial quarrel with a stranger whose face I slapped and who killed me in a duel near Kalugano. Sorry! Van”” [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A young man writes a bizarre, confessional letter about love, duels, and a tragic death, blending absurdity with dark humor. **In simple terms:** A bizarre confession about love, duels, and death. Key Takeaway Recognize absurdity, seek clarity. Themes absurdity death love confession Mood melancholic ironic dark Type literary confessional satirical When to use this quote - family drama - romantic entanglements - dueling culture - personal crisis Key Concepts existentialism dark humor literary satire Questions to Reflect On - What does the absurdity reveal about the narrator’s inner turmoil? - How does humor affect the gravity of the events? A Different Perspective The narrative’s surreal tone may obscure genuine emotional insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dear dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dear-dad/) ## Related quotes > [Dear Daddy, one day ill find my prince but you will always be my king](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-daddy-one-day-ill-find-my-prince-but-you-will-always-be-my-king/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Dear dad, I want to say sorry for I have disappointed you. I'll never be able to reach your goals no matter what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiana-webb/dear-dad-i-want-to-say-sorry-for-i-have-disappointed-you-i-ll-never/) [Tiana Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiana-webb/) > [Dear Dad, Thank you for teaching me how to ride a bike. Thank you for cheering me on at graduation . 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Roger”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-kahn/dear-dad-after-twenty-two-years-in-the-amusement-park-this-roller/) [Roger Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-kahn/) > [~All you care about is your fuckin self. why me dad why did have to ruin my life... now 18 years old I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-gone/all-you-care-about-is-your-fuckin-self-why-me-dad-why-did-have-to/) She's\_gone > [Dear Daddy, I wish you would be here to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ms-shy-fly/dear-daddy-i-wish-you-would-be-here-to-walk-me-down-the-aisle-on-my/) Ms\_Shy\_fly ## More by Vladimir Nabokov > [And the rest is rust and stardust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/and-the-rest-is-rust-and-stardust/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [There is no science without fancy and no art without fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/there-is-no-science-without-fancy-and-no-art-without-fact/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“My solemn exasperation was to her the silence of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/my-solemn-exasperation-was-to-her-the-silence-of-love/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [ “...under no circumstances would he \[Humbert Humbert\] have interfered with the innocence of a child, if there was the least risk of a row.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/under-no-circumstances-would-he-humbert-humbert-have-interfered-with/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/the-cradle-rocks-above-an-abyss-and-common-sense-tells-us-that-our/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“Ami azt illeti, Vannak kezdtek nagyon tetszeni a fák is, a csodák is meg az Adák is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/ami-azt-illeti-vannak-kezdtek-nagyon-tetszeni-a-f-k-is-a-csod-k-is/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [We live not only in a world of thoughts, but also in a world of things. 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Roger”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-kahn/dear-dad-after-twenty-two-years-in-the-amusement-park-this-roller/) [Roger Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-kahn/) > [I could express my feelings more easily if they could be put into the notes of music, but as the very best concert would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/i-could-express-my-feelings-more-easily-if-they-could-be-put-into-the/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [~Dear dad, I'm sorry I'm not good enough for you since you got your new family I dont know what to do to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-gone/dear-dad-i-m-sorry-i-m-not-good-enough-for-you-since-you-got-your-new/) She's\_gone > [“Dad, Please accept this money to fix the broken window. I’m sure it’s already fixed, considering Lydia’s house pride and her phobia about unconditioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/dad-please-accept-this-money-to-fix-the-broken-window-i-m-sure-it-s/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [~you only know my name you dont know my story but you're so quick to judge as if for the way. I love my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-gone/you-only-know-my-name-you-dont-know-my-story-but-you-re-so-quick-to/) She's\_gone > [Dear dad, you always told me that an honest man has nothing to fear, so I'm trying my best not to be afraid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/dear-dad-you-always-told-me-that-an-honest-man-has-nothing-to-fear-so/) [Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/) > [Dear Daddy-Long-Legs, You never answered my question and it was very important. ARE YOU BALD?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/dear-daddy-long-legs-you-never-answered-my-question-and-it-was-very/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [Dear daddy, no matter where I go in life, who I get married to, how much time I spend with guys, how much I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-daddy-no-matter-where-i-go-in-life-who-i-get-married-to-how-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see that his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/a-father-passing-by-his-son-s-bedroom-was-astonished-to-see-that-his/) Author Name > [My dear dad always tried to introduce me to children of his friends, but I just never took to them. Those were the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/my-dear-dad-always-tried-to-introduce-me-to-children-of-his-friends/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Dear Dad, Thank you for teaching me how to ride a bike. Thank you for cheering me on at graduation . Thank you for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-dad-thank-you-for-teaching-me-how-to-ride-a-bike-thank-you-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Dear dad, I want to say sorry for I have disappointed you. I'll never be able to reach your goals no matter what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiana-webb/dear-dad-i-want-to-say-sorry-for-i-have-disappointed-you-i-ll-never/) [Tiana Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiana-webb/) > [Dear Daddy, I wish you would be here to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ms-shy-fly/dear-daddy-i-wish-you-would-be-here-to-walk-me-down-the-aisle-on-my/) Ms\_Shy\_fly [Browse all 24 Dear dad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dear-dad/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Dear dad, in consequence of a trivial altercation with a Captain Tapper, of Wild Violet Lodge, whom I happened to step upon in the corridor of a train, I had a pistol duel this morning in the woods near Kalugano and am now no more. Though the manner of my end can be regarded as a kind of easy suicide, the encounter and the ineffable Captain are in no way connected with the Sorrows of Young Veen. In 1884, during my first summer in Ardis, I seduced your daughter, who was then twelve. Our torrid affair lasted till my return to Riverlane; it was resumed last June, four years later. That happiness has been the greatest event in my life, and I have no regrets. Yesterday, though, I discovered she had been unfaithful to me, so we parted. Tapper, I think, may be the chap who was thrown out of one of your gaming clubs for attempting oral intercourse with the washroom attendant, a toothless old cripple, veteran of the first Crimean War. Lots of flowers, please! Your loving son, Van He carefully reread his letter – and carefully tore it up. The note he finally placed in his coat pocket was much briefer. Dad, I had a trivial quarrel with a stranger whose face I slapped and who killed me in a duel near Kalugano. Sorry! Van”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vladimir Nabokov" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/dear-dad-in-consequence-of-a-trivial-altercation-with-a-captain/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dear dad" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/dear-dad-in-consequence-of-a-trivial-altercation-with-a-captain/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/vladimir-nabokov-198_quote_dear-dad-in-consequence-of-a-trivial-alt_1696280.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/vladimir-nabokov-198_quote_dear-dad-in-consequence-of-a-trivial-alt_1696280.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/vladimir-nabokov-198_quote_dear-dad-in-consequence-of-a-trivial-alt_1696280.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Dear dad, in consequence of a trivial altercation with a Captain Tapper, of Wild Violet Lodge, whom I…” — Vladimir Nabokov", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Vladimir Nabokov", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Dear dad, in consequence of a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/dear-dad-in-consequence-of-a-trivial-altercation-with-a-captain/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/dear-dad-in-consequence-of-a-trivial-altercation-with-a-captain/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```