I

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I

iceling (/inglice, possibly punning on ‘English’): Possibly a reference to (the royal family of) Icel (488-501), the great-grandson of the first recorded monarch and the father of the last monarch of the Angles in the kingdom of Mercia, part of the English Midlands (6^th-10^th c.). The Angles are Germanic and originally from Schleswig-Holstein, in Germany. Fyodor plays with "‘a simple word, say "ceiling" . . . until it becomes completely strange and feral . . . like "iceling" or "inglice"’" (G349).

Imperatorial Apollo: A species of butterfly.

Imperial Russian Geographical Society: Former name of the Russian Geographical Society. Established in 1845, the Society organized and funded the systematic exploration of the Northern Urals, Kashgaria, Dzungaria, and Mongolia. It helped set up the first polar stations in Russia and was one of the first to publish detailed studies of the Russian folklore and Ukrainian fairs. Konstantin Kirillovich Godunov-Cherdyntsev was a member of this Society (G103).

In den Zelten: A street in Berlin where the Chernyshevskis once resided. Also the location of an orthodontist Nabokov visited in 1910 - who was the inspiration for Dr.Lawson (G37).

Indépendance belge: A liberal Belgian newspaper founded in 1831. Fyodor imagines Nikolay Chernyshevski reading about the 1848 French Revolution (see "révolution") in it, which saw the creation of the Second Republic and the overthrow of King Louis-Philippe (G226).

Indoor Magic: A book reviewed by Chernyshevski, apparently fictionalized by Nabokov (see Amarantov). The book contains “tricks,” to one of which—“‘carrying water in a sieve’”—Chernyshevski “add[s] his own amendment.” The book’s “entertaining physics” are related to Chernyshevski’s interest in invention, particularly in “perpetual motion” (G233).

International Exhibition of 1862: A World Fair otherwise known as the Great London Exposition, this exhibition was the third of its kind to take place (the first taking place, also in London, in 1851): the early exhibitions marked the first public display of manufactured goods, and the exhibitions in general, up until 1950, were also displays of new inventions and technological progress. Chernyshevski’s materialism and his youthful, thwarted aspirations to technological invention (for example, see G217-18) are collaborated by the “strong effect” which the “exhibitions[,] . . . for instance the London one of 1862” have “on his fate” (see International Exhibition of 1889) (G228).

International Exhibition of 1889: A World Fair (in French called the ‘Exposition universelle [de 1889]’), the exhibition was held on Bastille Day (or 14th July), 1899, to mark the centenary of the siege of the Bastille or the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789. Through the latter half of the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th century international exhibitions were venues of display for manufactured goods and (technological) inventions. Chernyshevski’s materialism and his youthful, thwarted aspirations to technological invention (for example, see G217-18) are collaborated by the “strong effect” which the “exhibitions[,] . . . for instance . . . the Paris one of 1889” have “on his fate” (see International Exhibition of 1862) (G228). Although, the effect of the Exposition universelle on Chernyshevski is mainly negative, not formative: his “prodigal” son (G296), Sasha (see Chernyshevski, Aleksandr (‘Sasha’) Nikolaevich), has a “pathological passion for exhibitions” (G298) and so attends the “Exposition universelle in Paris” (G298) with money his father gives him to return to Russia (G298-99) (G228).

"The intellectual trend of the sixties": This indeed is a statement made by Nikolai Vasilevich Shelgunov (1824-1891) a “leading progressive writer of the day” (Scanlan, 4). He makes this statement while attending Chernyshevski’sdissertation defense, as a way of summing up the general intellectual orientation of the younger generation: a breaking away from the traditional Hegelian views of academia. Chernyshevski was apart of this younger generation, and his defense, therefore, was the “first proclamation of the intellectual orientation of the sixties” (4). These are Shelgunov’s observations (from Russian Philosophy qtd in Scanlan, 4):

“The small auditorium reserved for the defense was jammed with spectators. Some were

students, but there appeared to be more outsiders - officers and young civilians. It

was so crowded that spectators (I among them) were standing in the windows . . . .

Chernyshevsky defended the dissertation with his customary modesty but with the firm-

ness of unshakeable conviction. After the defense, Pletnev (who had presided) turned to

Chernyshevsky and remarked: "That certainly is not what I taught you in my lectures!"

True, it was not what Pletnev had taught; but what he taught could not have transported

the audience into the ecstasy to which Chernyshevsky's dissertation brought them. Every-

thing in it was new and alluring - its ideas, its arguments, its simplicity, its clarity of

exposition . . . . Only Pletnev and the professors sitting with him remained unmoved” (G237).

Iodoform: Volatile crystalline compound used as an antiseptic and in ointments for minor skin diseases.

"Incognita": (Spanish) "an unknown woman". In reference to a poem by Blok, Godunov-Cherdyntsev quotes the line "she passed slowly in between the drunkards". The poem (in Russian, "Незнакомка") tells the story of a man who spends his evenings at a bar of an inn and dreams that every evening, at the same hour, an unescorted girl enters the tavern. This poem is also referenced in Nabokov's novel Ada (G75).

Infusoria: A class of Protozoa, unicellular and having cilia or flagellate appendage. Called ‘Infusoria’ because found to develop in infusions of decaying animal or vegetal matter. The term was originally applied to all microscopic organisms found in water, a use which Nabokov probably employs when he has Fyodor see "a monogram of light resembling an infusorian". Godunov-Cherdyntsev also mentions that he studied infusoria at Berlin University (G41, G352).

Irkutsk: One of the largest cities in Siberia, Irkutsk is the social and political centre of Irkutsk Oblast, a Russian subject. The city dates back to the 17th century, but gained notoriety in the 19th century as it emerged as an intellectual and cultural centre in Siberia, largely due to the settlement of political and religious exiles. With such a large population of exiled radicals, Irkutsk became a hotbed of political activism and riots during the civil war (G284).

Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irkutsk

Irvine, Andrew "Sandy": (April 8, 1902 – 8-9 June, 1924) British mountaineer who took part in the third British Expedition to Mount Everest in 1924. Irvine disappeared somewhere high on the North-East ridge, along with climbing partner George Mallory, whilst attempting to make the first ascent of the world's highest mountain in June of that year. The pair's last known sighting was only a few hundred metres from the summit (G50).

June 1924: Mallory and Irvine in their camp preparing for the ascent.

"Isn't it all the same whether we have a blue finned pike or a pike with a blue fin": A play on a line supposedly (it seems to be fictitious...I didn't find such a reference in Derzhavin's poetry) from Derzhavin’s poem and Chernyshevski’s own interpretation (G240).

Italian salad: a type of salad using macaroni as its key ingredient. Served by the Shchyogolevs, this salad emphasizes their frugality (G355).

Image source: http://www.fitness.com/recipes/uploaded/1208230836_italian_vegetable_salad.jpg

Ivan the Terrible: (1530-1584) Ivan IV of Russia, Tsar of Russia from 1547 until his death. His early reign saw his greatest conquests with the seizure of Kazan and the subsequent annexing of the Astrakhan Khanate on the river Volga. History knows him as a ruthless and mentally unstable ruler, known for killing tens of thousands, including his own son. Upon examinations of the Tsar’s body during renovations in the 1960s, large traces of mercury were found in his body, indicating the possibility that he was poisoned. Historians believe that one of his advisors, Boris Godunov, was likely responsible for the poisoning of the Tsar. In 1584 the throne was taken over by Ivan’s childless son, Feodor (interesting to note the critical names in Ivan the Terrible’s life: Feodor and Godunov… the same names as the protagonist in The Gift) (G319).