Q&A

What language is Pale Fire in?

What language is Pale Fire in?

English
Pale Fire/Original languages

Who is the narrator of Pale Fire?

Charles Kinbote
Charles Kinbote is the unreliable narrator in Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Pale Fire.

Is Pale Fire difficult to read?

I realize that it was boring for a reason, but it was difficult to read. i tried flipping back and forth from the poem to the commentary to no profit. it reads just as well if not better when read sequentially from the foreword to the poem and then to the commentary.

How long does it take to read Pale Fire?

5 hours and 24 minutes
The average reader will spend 5 hours and 24 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).

Is Pale Fire metafiction?

Abstract. Pale Fire is one of the most representative works of Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov. It is always seen by the academia as metafiction. Indeed, several features of this novel show that this novel is clearly metafiction.

What is the best way to read Pale Fire?

For a first read, I would recommend reading the Foreward, then one Cantos of the poem, followed by the commentary for that Cantos. This allows you to first experience the poem in its unannotated form, but also keeps it fresh in your mind for the commentary.

What kind of book is Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov?

Nabokov’s darkly witty, richly inventive masterpiece is a suspenseful whodunit, a story of one-upmanship and dubious penmanship, and a glorious literary conundrum. Part of a major new series of the works of Vladimir Nabokov, author of Lolita and Pale Fire, in Penguin Classics.

Who is the author of Pale Fire by John Shade?

The novel is presented as a 999-line poem titled “Pale Fire”, written by the fictional poet John Shade, with a foreword, lengthy commentary and index written by Shade’s neighbor and academic colleague, Charles Kinbote.

How did the poem Pale Fire get its name?

Explanation of the title. As Nabokov pointed out himself, the title of John Shade’s poem is from Shakespeare ‘s Timon of Athens: “The moon’s an arrant thief, / And her pale fire she snatches from the sun” (Act IV, scene 3), a line often taken as a metaphor about creativity and inspiration.

Which is the best book by Vladimir Nabokov?

Pale Fire is arguably the best book of Vladimir Nabokov. It is not easy to resist losing ourselves in the magical word play of Nabokov. To talk about it, this one opens up with a 999-liner poem in 4 cantos followed by detailed commentary of the man, the narrator, who tried saving its maker – the poet Shade.