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Types of Formal Structure in Selected Novels of Vladimir Nabokov

Nicol, Charles
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1554464085296663

Abstract Details

1970, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, English.
This study of the formal structures in the novels of Vladimir Nabokov begins with an analysis of his manipulation of individual scenes, then considers the devices that deter­mine the structure of various novels, and then attempts to establish the dynamic that informs the canon of Nabokov's novels. The first chapter investigates Nabokov's manipulation of his reader's expectations as a formal device, with Laugh­ter in the Dark as the primary example. Lolita, where the technique is modified, is compared with the earlier work. The second chapter applies Nabokov's idea of "thematic designs" to Pnin. These inter-connecting networks of sub­merged references are seen as reinforcing the surface struc­ture of the novel. The third chapter investigates the larger structures that define the form of The Real Life of Sebastian Knight. The novel is seen as a series of different formal approaches to the writing of a novel, and these authorial perspectives are considered individually. The long final chapter attempts a broad perspective on the organization of Nabokov's novels, through the applica­tion of a generalization about the interplay of memory and parody. This duality in Nabokov's aesthetics is investi­gated in King, Queen, Knave, Laughter in the Dark, Invita­tion to a Beheading, The Gift, Bend Sinister, Lolita, Pale Fire, and Ada.
Frank Baldanza (Advisor)
Literature

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Nicol, C. (1970). Types of Formal Structure in Selected Novels of Vladimir Nabokov [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1554464085296663

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Nicol, Charles. Types of Formal Structure in Selected Novels of Vladimir Nabokov. 1970. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1554464085296663.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Nicol, Charles. "Types of Formal Structure in Selected Novels of Vladimir Nabokov." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 1970. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1554464085296663

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1554464085296663
504
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