Vladimir Nabokov Lectures On Literature Pdf -

Before searching for the PDF, one must understand the source material. The lectures were compiled posthumously by Fredson Bowers and published in two volumes: Lectures on Literature (1980) and Lectures on Russian Literature (1981).

The Vladimir Nabokov lectures on literature specifically cover European masters. Nabokov detested what he called "general ideas." He was not interested in the history of an author’s time or the sociological implications of a plot. Instead, he taught reading as a sensual, artistic act. vladimir nabokov lectures on literature pdf

In his famous opening lecture, “Good Readers and Good Writers,” Nabokov outlines his philosophy: Before searching for the PDF, one must understand

He compares the act of reading to looking at a painting, not watching a movie. You must attend to details – the way a window is described, the repetition of a color, the exact position of a chair. He compares the act of reading to looking

Nabokov was a notorious index-card artist. He believed in rereading. A PDF of these lectures allows the modern student to replicate Nabokov’s own study habits. You can highlight his famous "brick walls" (his term for boring details), write marginalia arguing with his dismissal of Balzac, and cross-reference his sketches. The physical book is rare and expensive; the PDF is immediate and malleable.

Nabokov is rude. In the PDF, you will find him calling Conrad "a writer of doggerel" and calling Faulkner "corncobby." Do not get angry. Understand that his cruelty is a rhetorical device to break your passive acceptance of literary reputation. He forces you to defend your own tastes.

Nabokov was merciless to students who hadn’t read the text. Do not read his lecture on The Metamorphosis without having read Gregor Samsa’s story first. The PDF is a companion, not a summary.