Vladimir Nabokov And The "Otherworlds"

Vladimir Nabokov is one of the most important figures in the literary history since World War â…¡. He has a very important position in American literature even in the world literature. As a Russian-born American writer who had lived in Russia for twenty years, Nabokov was inevitably influenced by the traditional Russian culture, especially by the culture and traditional aesthetics of the Silver Period. In this thesis, the author intends to focus on the concept of the "Otherworlds" in his works, because the "Otherworlds" of Russian Symbolism were his "chief theme of composing" and infiltrated everything of his works. Nabokov's favorite Russian writer was A. Blok (1880-1929), one of the most important poets of symbolist period (1890-1910) of Russian literature. Through analyzing three major works of Nabokov -- Lolita (1955), Pnin (1957) and Pale Fire (1962), and from the perspective of Russian symbolism, this thesis intends to study the "Otherworlds" that Nabokov tries to build in his works; analyze how symbolism of the Silver Age and the ideas of the "Other Worlds" influence on his thought, and how A. Blok (1880-1921), representative of Russian symbolism, influenced his artistic technique and language of literary creation.This thesis consists of five parts. The first part is a general introduction to Nabokov, his three works: Lolita, Pnin and Pale Fire. In Chapter one, the intrinsic features of Russian symbolism , its representative A.Blok. and the concept of "the Otherworlds" are discussed. Chapter two explores the impact of "the Otherworlds" on Nabokov's works and "the Otherworlds" Nabokov built in his works. Chapter...