The “Real” Lives of Vladimir Nabokov: A Critique of Three Novels

 Jamie L. Olson, English

Thomas Zelman, Ph.D., Department of English, U. of Michigan

ABSTRACT

     The distinction between truth and fiction in the interpretation of literature is not always clear, particularly in light of the reader’s tendency to subjectively “read into” the text information that may not be intrinsic. In the novels Lolita, Pale Fire, and The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Vladimir Nabokov exploits this tendency to the fullest extent, blurring the reality/art dichotomy by means of narrative deceit and often parodying the reader’s relationship to the text.  The implications of these techniques and of solipsistic reading are explored in this paper, and ultimately extended to encompass literary analysis in general, thereby examining how one should interact with a fictional piece of literature.