Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov
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This novel is presented as writing by two different fictional people, a poem written by an author named Shade and annotations of that poem written by a person named Kinbote. The Foreword by Kinbote begins the book followed by the 999 lined poem in four cantos by Shade which is then followed by an extensive commentary and index prepared by Kinbote.
I’ve come away from the work with the impression that the poem is an introspective personal reflection on Shade’s life, and the Foreword, Commentary, and Index by Kinbote are ramblings of an egomaniac full of himself, an obviously unreliable narrator. I found Kinbote’s contributions to this book’s narrative to be a distraction from an otherwise well written rhyming poem by Shade. In my review of the book which follows I will first describe the poem. Then I will come back to addressing Kinbote’s writing that encircles the poem.
The Poem by Shade:
In the first canto of “Pale Fire,” Shade describes his encounters with death and the supernatural. It is a look back at various times in his life including his childhood.
In the second canto, he describes his family life. A significant topic of this canto is the story of his daughter Hazel who drowned in an accident that may have been suicide.
The third canto expresses Shade’s hope that life has meaning. He is an atheist but has dabbled with speculations regarding near death experiences.
In the fourth canto Shade explores the world of poetry and the creative process suggesting that it is a means for understanding the universe. The poem ends at Line 999 with the final rhyming couplet unresolved.
Foreword by Kinbote:
The Foreword explains that Kinbote and Shade were next door neighbors and they were both professors at a college. It is explained that Shade was murdered shorty before the poem’s publication which suggest a reason for the missing Line 1000. Kinbote suggests that his annotations and analyses are so important that the reader may benefit for reading them first. (A crazy suggestion in my opinion.)
Commentary by Kinbote:
Kinbote’s commentary says scarcely little about the poem, but instead through many digressions tells the story of an exiled king of Zembla, King Charles. He knows that Shade is working on a long poem, and he is sure that his stories being told to Shade are the poem’s prime inspiration. Kinbote also tells the story of an assassin who has been dispatched to kill the exiled king. Kinbote hints that he is actually King Charles living in exile under an assumed name, thus he will be the intended assassin’s target.
Shade comes to Kinbote’s house to celebrate the near completion of the poem when the assassin shows up and shoots at Kinbote, but hits Shade instead. Contrary to Kinbote’s tale of an assassin dispatched from Zembla, the murderer says he is an escapee from a nearby mental health facility.
Kinbote takes the unfinished manuscript, reads the poem, and is disappointed to learn that there’s no mention of Zembla. Kinbote takes the poem manuscript and escapes to an isolated mountain location to work on his annotations for the poem.
Index by Kinbote:
The novel also includes an index written by Kinbote that provides further information about the country and people of Zembla. The index is infused with Kinbote's agendas and opinions, as well as suggestions that he is King Charles.
What Critics Say About Pale Fire:
Critics have written much about the novel Pale Fire. Ebook edition of Nabokob’s Pale Fire, by Brian Boyd (an extensive analysis of Pale Fire) is available via Hoopla Digital. Wikipedia’s article about Pale Fire suggests the following alternative interpretations:
1. Traditional fiction about relationships between characters.
2. Kinbote as an alter-ego of the insane Professor Botkin.
3. Shade wrote both poem and commentary.
4. Literary glimpse of a higher world and an afterlife.
5. Nabobkov’s highly fictionalize autobiography.
My Take:
Pale Fire is a novel about a poem written by a person who was murdered by his neighbor who lived in his own imaginary world of being an exiled king.
Soon after writing this review I discussed this book with the Great Books KC group. Here's a LINK to a summary of the discussion.
I’ve come away from the work with the impression that the poem is an introspective personal reflection on Shade’s life, and the Foreword, Commentary, and Index by Kinbote are ramblings of an egomaniac full of himself, an obviously unreliable narrator. I found Kinbote’s contributions to this book’s narrative to be a distraction from an otherwise well written rhyming poem by Shade. In my review of the book which follows I will first describe the poem. Then I will come back to addressing Kinbote’s writing that encircles the poem.
The Poem by Shade:
In the first canto of “Pale Fire,” Shade describes his encounters with death and the supernatural. It is a look back at various times in his life including his childhood.
In the second canto, he describes his family life. A significant topic of this canto is the story of his daughter Hazel who drowned in an accident that may have been suicide.
The third canto expresses Shade’s hope that life has meaning. He is an atheist but has dabbled with speculations regarding near death experiences.
In the fourth canto Shade explores the world of poetry and the creative process suggesting that it is a means for understanding the universe. The poem ends at Line 999 with the final rhyming couplet unresolved.
Foreword by Kinbote:
The Foreword explains that Kinbote and Shade were next door neighbors and they were both professors at a college. It is explained that Shade was murdered shorty before the poem’s publication which suggest a reason for the missing Line 1000. Kinbote suggests that his annotations and analyses are so important that the reader may benefit for reading them first. (A crazy suggestion in my opinion.)
Commentary by Kinbote:
Kinbote’s commentary says scarcely little about the poem, but instead through many digressions tells the story of an exiled king of Zembla, King Charles. He knows that Shade is working on a long poem, and he is sure that his stories being told to Shade are the poem’s prime inspiration. Kinbote also tells the story of an assassin who has been dispatched to kill the exiled king. Kinbote hints that he is actually King Charles living in exile under an assumed name, thus he will be the intended assassin’s target.
Shade comes to Kinbote’s house to celebrate the near completion of the poem when the assassin shows up and shoots at Kinbote, but hits Shade instead. Contrary to Kinbote’s tale of an assassin dispatched from Zembla, the murderer says he is an escapee from a nearby mental health facility.
Kinbote takes the unfinished manuscript, reads the poem, and is disappointed to learn that there’s no mention of Zembla. Kinbote takes the poem manuscript and escapes to an isolated mountain location to work on his annotations for the poem.
Index by Kinbote:
The novel also includes an index written by Kinbote that provides further information about the country and people of Zembla. The index is infused with Kinbote's agendas and opinions, as well as suggestions that he is King Charles.
What Critics Say About Pale Fire:
Critics have written much about the novel Pale Fire. Ebook edition of Nabokob’s Pale Fire, by Brian Boyd (an extensive analysis of Pale Fire) is available via Hoopla Digital. Wikipedia’s article about Pale Fire suggests the following alternative interpretations:
1. Traditional fiction about relationships between characters.
2. Kinbote as an alter-ego of the insane Professor Botkin.
3. Shade wrote both poem and commentary.
4. Literary glimpse of a higher world and an afterlife.
5. Nabobkov’s highly fictionalize autobiography.
My Take:
Pale Fire is a novel about a poem written by a person who was murdered by his neighbor who lived in his own imaginary world of being an exiled king.
Soon after writing this review I discussed this book with the Great Books KC group. Here's a LINK to a summary of the discussion.
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
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