Absent yet Present: On the Paradoxical Nature of Characters in Nabokov’s The Real Life of Sebastian Knight
The present research is focused on the theme of absence, an area of inquiry that might seem dominant in the field of Nabokov Studies. The analysis, which concentrates in particular on the key figures of the novel The Real Life of Sebastian Knight (1941), notably the narrator V. and the poet Sebastia...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Septentrio Academic Publishing
2016-11-01
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| Series: | Poljarnyj Vestnik: Norwegian Journal of Slavic Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/vestnik/article/view/3787 |
| _version_ | 1818473166464352256 |
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| author | Irina Marchesini |
| author_facet | Irina Marchesini |
| author_sort | Irina Marchesini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The present research is focused on the theme of absence, an area of inquiry that might seem dominant in the field of Nabokov Studies. The analysis, which concentrates in particular on the key figures of the novel The Real Life of Sebastian Knight (1941), notably the narrator V. and the poet Sebastian Knight, interprets the characters’ construction through the paradigm of absence. Arguably, the construction of characters in The Real Life of Sebastian Knight is paradoxical: absence constitutes their essence at a core level, as it often happens in the context of the self-conscious genre. Moreover, absence plays a key role in characters’ design, linking them to all Nabokovian novels. However, despite their innermost ‘flatness’, to use Edward M. Forster’s terminology, they still appear to be ‘round’, i.e. plausible, mimetic figures. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:19:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-41ab84b45ed044279177363db7fd7825 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1500-7502 1890-9671 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:19:33Z |
| publishDate | 2016-11-01 |
| publisher | Septentrio Academic Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Poljarnyj Vestnik: Norwegian Journal of Slavic Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-41ab84b45ed044279177363db7fd78252022-12-22T02:12:34ZengSeptentrio Academic PublishingPoljarnyj Vestnik: Norwegian Journal of Slavic Studies1500-75021890-96712016-11-011910.7557/6.37873667Absent yet Present: On the Paradoxical Nature of Characters in Nabokov’s The Real Life of Sebastian KnightIrina Marchesini0University of Bologna, ItalyThe present research is focused on the theme of absence, an area of inquiry that might seem dominant in the field of Nabokov Studies. The analysis, which concentrates in particular on the key figures of the novel The Real Life of Sebastian Knight (1941), notably the narrator V. and the poet Sebastian Knight, interprets the characters’ construction through the paradigm of absence. Arguably, the construction of characters in The Real Life of Sebastian Knight is paradoxical: absence constitutes their essence at a core level, as it often happens in the context of the self-conscious genre. Moreover, absence plays a key role in characters’ design, linking them to all Nabokovian novels. However, despite their innermost ‘flatness’, to use Edward M. Forster’s terminology, they still appear to be ‘round’, i.e. plausible, mimetic figures.https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/vestnik/article/view/3787RussianNabokovliteratureabsence |
| spellingShingle | Irina Marchesini Absent yet Present: On the Paradoxical Nature of Characters in Nabokov’s The Real Life of Sebastian Knight Poljarnyj Vestnik: Norwegian Journal of Slavic Studies Russian Nabokov literature absence |
| title | Absent yet Present: On the Paradoxical Nature of Characters in Nabokov’s The Real Life of Sebastian Knight |
| title_full | Absent yet Present: On the Paradoxical Nature of Characters in Nabokov’s The Real Life of Sebastian Knight |
| title_fullStr | Absent yet Present: On the Paradoxical Nature of Characters in Nabokov’s The Real Life of Sebastian Knight |
| title_full_unstemmed | Absent yet Present: On the Paradoxical Nature of Characters in Nabokov’s The Real Life of Sebastian Knight |
| title_short | Absent yet Present: On the Paradoxical Nature of Characters in Nabokov’s The Real Life of Sebastian Knight |
| title_sort | absent yet present on the paradoxical nature of characters in nabokov s the real life of sebastian knight |
| topic | Russian Nabokov literature absence |
| url | https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/vestnik/article/view/3787 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT irinamarchesini absentyetpresentontheparadoxicalnatureofcharactersinnabokovsthereallifeofsebastianknight |