The result is a parody of critical commentary in which pale fire is all but forgotten. We know very little about john shade besides the biographical information that is provided in his poem. The novel has been hailed as one of the most striking early examples of postmodernism and has become a famous test case for theories about reading because of the apparent impossibility of deciding between several radically different interpretations. Pale fire is the name of a 999 line poem, written in four cantos, by an american poet named john shade. Kinbote appears to be the scholarly author of the foreword, commentary and index surrounding the text of the late john shades poem pale fire, which together form the text of nabokovs novel.
The main characters of this fiction, classics story are john shade, sybil. The first edition of the novel was published in 1962, and was written by vladimir nabokov. Pale fire by vladimir nabokov is a masterpiece of literature that seems to transform into a remarkably personal experience for anyone who approaches the text. Charles kinbote, who writes the commentary and introduction to the published version of the poem pale fire.
The foreword tells us that shade has recently died and that kinbote, ignoring the pleas of shades widow and numerous academic shadeans, has absconded with the manuscript of pale fire to. Kinbote is convinced shades poem, pale fire, is not about shade at all but about kinbotes own delusional history as the exiled king of. The unfettered forces of imagination, the ability to treat life as fiction and fiction as life, combine in pale fire to create a dazzling novel of wit and high seriousness. Pdf pale fire book by vladimir nabokov free download. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 315 pages and is available in paperback format. He said he wanted to send me something, an object, an icon of sorts.
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