NABOKV-L post 0006036, Wed, 20 Jun 2001 11:04:31 -0700

> ----------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Subject: Delage-Toriel dissertation: "Ultra Violet DArlings. Representations of
>
> Women in Nabokov's Prose Fiction"
> Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 10:42:16 -0700
> From: "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@gte.net>
> Organization: International Nabokov Society
> To: vn <nabokv-l@listserv.ucsb.edu>
>
> EDITOR's NOTE. Although one of the reasons for writing a dissertation
> is to get a job, its prime function is to present new knowledge or
> interpretations about its topic for other interested parties. NABOKV-L
> urges all Nabokovians to inform their colleagues of their research and
> publications. Professional recognition depends on making others aware
> of your work so they may draw on it. NABOKV-L particularly thanks
> Barbara Wyllie and Lara Delage for their dissertation abstracts.
> ------------------------------------
>
>> > From:
>> > "Lara Delage" <larotlarette@hotmail.com>
>> >
>> >
>> > In the wake of Barbara Wyllie▓s initiative, I am posting a synopsis of
>> > my PhD dissertation, which was submitted in Cambridge last January. The
>> > synopsis was written for academic purposes and may not convey, in its
>> > assertiveness, the nuances in my thesis.
>> > ----------------------------------
>> >
>> >
>> > Ultraviolet Darlings
>> > Representations of Women in Nabokov's Prose Fiction
>> >
>> > Lara Delage-Toriel
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > This study proposes to shed light on a heretofore neglected aspect of
>> > Nabokov's fiction: his portrayal of women. It embraces the entire corpus of
>> > his novels, as well as some of his short stories and non-fictional works.
>> > Nabokov is renowned for his finely chiselled prose, sharpness of vision and
>> > provocative slant of thought. Yet for all his stylistic and intellectual
>> > originality, Nabokov's mode of characterization does not escape certain
>> > archetypal and stereotypical patterns. This tendency is all the more
>> > conspicuous in the case of female characters, who, despite being in constant
>> > focus, never appear in his novels as dominant focalizers. The narrative
>> > point of view in every one of Nabokov's novels is as distinctively male as
>> > is his claim for absolute authority over his fictional worlds. This twofold
>> > objectification of women has made Nabokov an ideal target for feminist
>> > critics, yet surprisingly few have risen to the challenge. The reason for
>> > this critical silence may lie in Nabokov's characteristic ambiguity. His
>> > vision is a prismatic one, which refracts rather than reflects the reality
>> > it refers to. My aim, which is not primarily feminist, is to investigate
>> > various Nabokovian refractions of the feminine: the vulgar, the virtuous,
>> > the muse, the mother. I examine the way in which Nabokov plays with these
>> > familiar figures of femininity and confers upon them an individual aura,
>> > turning them into his own 'ultraviolet darling[s]'. In my first chapter, I
>> > gather around the notion of poshlost and the figure of Emma Bovary various
>> > kinds of vulgar women. These are contrasted with a group of virtuous women,
>> > who fail to achieve harmonious relationships with their male partners. In my
>> > second chapter, I consider the muse figure and its implications for women's
>> > role in Nabokov's artistic process. In my third chapter, I study Nabokov's
>> > iconography of the maternal by examining various configurations of the
>> > mother-child relationship in his fiction. My last chapter brings into
>> > perspective the very notion of representation by dwelling upon the pictorial
>> > politics framing the female portrait. Throughout my study, references to
>> > Nabokov's relationships with women in real life draw these issues into
>> > relief and help to illuminate both the distinctively personal and the more
>> > traditional traits in Nabokov's delineation of the feminine.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > __
>> >