History Literature / AdaOrArdor

* ArcWords: variations of "Ada's ardors in arbors", "Ardis' ardors in arbors", "Ada's orchids and orchards", and so on.

* BrickJoke: During their first summer together Ada and Van return from a bike ride "with several pauses", whereupon Ada begins scarfing down food in front of her surprised mother, who asks "how many miles [she] rode" to be so famished. Ada smiles and replies "[[OneDialogueTwoConversations only]] [[BiggerIsBetterInBed seven.]]" A decade later Lucette makes a comment regarding Van's surgical scar, "that looked to [her] at least eight inches long". Due to a nearby band playing, Van mishears what she's talking about, and "modestly" corrects her "[[GagPenis Seven and a half.]]"

* BungledSuicide: Van tries to shoot himself after his father warns him to stop his romance with Ada. However, the gun fails to fire.

-->''Ada:'' "I have to admit... that [[{{Understatement}} the splendid plan is a foozle.]]"

%%* EveryoneHasLotsOfSex.
%%* FrenchMaid: Blanche

* InterruptedIntimacy: Lucette as a child frequently and deliberately interrupts Van and Ada's lovemaking.

* ParentalIncest: Mention is made of a man who impregnates his 5-year-old granddaughter ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_sex while asleep]], supposedly). Five years later, he impregnates the resulting girl, again supposedly while asleep.

* ReplacementGoldfish: During Van and Ada's second separation, Ada makes ''Lucette'' her primary sexual partner.

-->''Van:'' “In other more deeply moral worlds than this pellet of muck, there might exist restraints, principles, transcendental consolations, and even a certain pride in making happy someone one does not really love; but on this planet [[spoiler: Lucettes]] are doomed.”

* UnusualEuphamism: The book is ''filled'' with them. Much of the "gory details" (and the plot is considerably gory) are wrapped in poetic language, subtle symbolism, obscure references, etc.

* TheUnfavorite: Lucette to Van

* SecretKeeper: The household staff of Ardis - bar the more oblivious members - quickly realize what's going on between Van and Ada, and most keep quiet or even occasionally assist them; it's implied that some even know they're siblings rather than cousins. Averted with Kim the cook, however, who secretly photos some of their encounters and attempts to blackmail them.

* ThreeWaySex

* BrickJoke: During their first summer together Ada and Van return from a bike ride "with several pauses", whereupon Ada begins scarfing down food in front of her surprised mother, who asks "how many miles [she] rode" to be so famished. Ada smiles and replies "[[OneDialogueTwoConversations only]][[BiggerIsBetterInBed seven.]]" A decade later Lucette makes a comment regarding Van's surgical scar, "that looked to [her] at least eight inches long". Due to a nearby band playing, Van mishears what she's talking about, and "modestly" corrects her "[[GagPenis Seven and a half.]]"

* UpperClassTwit: Pampered, arrogant and fastidious Van Veen.

* ByronicHero: Van Veen

* DrivenToSuicide: Lucette.
** Van's mother, Aqua.
* EveryoneHasLotsOfSex.
* FrenchMaid: Blanche

* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: The book purports to be the dictated memoirs of Ivan Veen (the main character), with assistance from Ada. There's also an appendix by [[SignificantAnagram "Vivian Darkbloom"]].

''Ada, or Ardor: a Family Chronicle'' is a 1969 novel by Creator/VladimirNabokov, taking the form of the long[[note]]Nabokov's longest novel, in fact[[/note]] memoirs of a psychiatrist around 1967 looking back at his 97 years of life. Rather than his career or philosophical thinking, however, the bulk of it concerns his over 80-year-long love affair with his cousin (actually sister), Ada from the title.

* WellExcuseMePrincess: Van and Ada find each other annoying at first. Van's feeling start to change when he slips while climbing a tree and his face lands on Ada's crotch.

* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Van is hurt and bothered by Ada's affairs, whereas he sees no problem with his own. Of course, in all fairness, she had many more, hers were continuous whereas his were on-and-off and she [[BlatantLies"blatantly lied"]] about them.

* AlternateHistory: Most of the world is under Anglo-American dominion, with the notable exception of Tartary, and electrical power is taboo, just for a start. The Golden Horde still rules, so it can be inferred that the point of divergence was in the 14th century, but this is unsure.

''Ada, or Ardor: a Family Chronicle'' is a 1969 novel by Creator/VladimirNabokov, taking the form of the long[[note]]Nabokov's longest novel, in fact[[/note]] memoirs of a psychiatrist around 1967 looking back at his 97 years of life. Rather than his career or philosophical thinking, however, the bulk of it concerns his over 80-year-long love affair with his cousin (actually sister), the eponymous Ada.

* SpankTheCutie: Ada suggests Van do this to Lucette when the latter is being particularly annoying. Lucette is very disappointed when Van refuses to.

* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Van is at one point quite hurt by Ada's affairs, while seeing no problem with the fact that he has far more.

* OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions: Religion exists, but it's much less popular and treated far more disdainfully than in reality. Marina, admittely not very smart, is even unaware that Judaism predates Christianity.