I've been playing some word-golf in my thesis on Pale Fire, "Art, Alchemy and Failed Transcendence -  Jungian influences in Pale Fire".  Part of my argument is demonstrating that Shade, Kinbote and Gradus are three aspects of the same person: the Higher Self, Ego, and Lower Self.

I've taken the liberty of making my word-golf anagrams as well as changing one letter in each step. Also, each step has meaning within the text.

RAVUS = Gradus
RAVES = Kinbote
SHAVE = All 3 (beard disguise, shaving in tub, Gradus kills self with razor
SHADE = Shade

This could also be:

RAVUS = Gradus
RAVES = Kinbote
SHARE = All 3 share an identity
SHADE = Shade

Here’s are two anagram word golfs which also have meaning at each step:

GRADUS
D’ARGUS = Alias
GUARDS = Guards in the Palace
GRADES = Associated with Gradus
GRAVES = Death
GRAVEN = Engraved emblems
DANGER = Regicide
DRAGON = Alchemy
GARDEN = The Gardener

Here is one that changes Kinbote to the King:

KINBOTE
KINGBOT= aka botfly, a parasite larva (like Kinbote to Shade)
BOOKING = writing, publishing this book
BOOTING = a Botkin is a shoemaker
BETTING = Card games by guards (Nodo)
NETTING = Butterflies
RENTING = Botkine is renting Goldsworth’s house
REEKING = Botkine has halitosis
TREKING = Botkine’s escape from Zembla
TREMKIN =Word in Zemblan for “Dream King”

Here is one that changes Gradus to Nabokov (in a way)

RAVUS = Gradus
RAVEN = Alchemy
GRAVE = Death
GAMER = A game player, a trickster
GAMES = Games, puns, riddles within the book
MAGUS = Gradus, as Mercurius, is a magus, as is the master conjuror Nabokov


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