Other states of being : Nabokov's two-world metaphysic
Nabokov's fiction is informed by a two-world vision: implicit throughout his writing is a distinction between the world of the senses and another, supersensory realm intuited to lie beyond. NotÂ­withstanding his avowed antipathy to Plato, the metaphysic reflected in his work is in all essential respects Platonic or Neoplatonic, an unhappy dualism constantly striving towards an ideal monism. In different ways -- through art, chess, love, madness, suicide -- all his major characters are trying to leave the Platonic cave and make their way into the sunshine, into those ~other states of being where art .âą. is the norm.~ His novels may be read as the story of these attempts. The thesis is divided into three main sections. Part One (~Thematism~) attempts a broad conspectus of Nabokov's metaphysical and epistemological attitudes, concentrating on the themes of time and death in his fiction. Part Two (~Figuration~) then focusses on a number of characteristic Nabokovian motifs or image-complexes under the three headings of transparency, reflectivity and circuÂ­larity/spirality. In each of these figures, or pairs of figures, one member is typically associated with the world of phenomenal reality (opaque, reflected,
Grossmith, Robert
PG Slavic, Baltic, Albanian languages and literature
Other states of being : Nabokov's two-world metaphysic. Nabokov's fiction is informed by a two-world vision: implicit throughout his writing is a distinction between the world of the senses and another, supersensory realm intuited to lie beyond. NotÂ­withstanding his avowed antipathy to Plato, the metaphysic reflected in his work is in all essential respects Platonic or Neoplatonic, an unhappy dualism constantly striving towards an ideal monism. In different ways -- through art, chess, love, madness, suicide -- all his major characters are trying to leave the Platonic cave and make their way into the sunshine, into those ~other states of being where art .âą. is the norm.~ His novels may be read as the story of these attempts. The thesis is divided into three main sections. Part One (~Thematism~) attempts a broad conspectus of Nabokov's metaphysical and epistemological attitudes, concentrating on the themes of time and death in his fiction. Part Two (~Figuration~) then focusses on a number of characteristic Nabokovian motifs or image-complexes under the three headings of transparency, reflectivity and circuÂ­larity/spirality. In each of these figures, or pairs of figures, one member is typically associated with the world of phenomenal reality (opaque, reflected,
state world metaphysic fiction inform world vision implicit throughout write distinction world sense another realm lie beyond antipathy plato metaphysic reflect work essential respect platonic dualism constantly strive towards ideal monism different_way art love madness suicide major character try leave platonic cave make_way other state_art norm novel may read story attempt divide_three main_section part_one attempt broad metaphysical epistemological attitude concentrate theme time death fiction part_two focus number characteristic motif image heading transparency figure pair figure member typically associate world phenomenal reality opaque reflect