On Intertextuality In Nabokov’s Pale Fire

Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (1899-1977) had written a large number of works during his life-long literary career. The novel Pale Fire is the most intricately designed and the most uniquely structured work, which is beyond the conventional definition of novel.In the novel, Nabokov skillfully employs the intertextual strategy in creating this novel, inheriting and subverting the literary heritage. Based on the theory of intertextuality, the thesis attempts to manifest the intertextual relations between Pale Fire and some pre-texts through four techniques of intertextuality:quotation and allusion (the relation of co-presence), pastiche and parody (the relation of derivation). The intertextual reading of Pale Fire reveals its high artistry and in-depth meaning, thus providing a fresh view in appreciation of the novel.Through the intertextual reading, the thesis comes to the conclusion that intertextuality has a great epistemological value. As far as criticism concerned, no text exists in isolation and the intertextual reading method can help to promote the reader’s understanding of the texts by making comparisons with other previous works. Hence, intertextuality is an important creative and a critical method in postmodern literature.