Nabokov Question #3

Nabokov clearly uses rhetorical devices in his essay to wonder the reader and to give the essay a stronger grip on the readers mind. He uses allusion, metaphor, and personification throughout his essay, and these devices give his work life.

The most important metaphor that can be found in Nabokov’s essay is found in paragraph 10. Here he compares a book to a painting. His basic reason for using this metaphor is to say that a book, like a painting, has depth and deeper meaning, you just have to look at a little longer to see it all. He’s saying that you should re-read books so you can see the book as a whole.

Personification can be found in paragraphs 15 and 16. Here is when he describes literature as if it was something living. He describes it as being “born”. He says that it is an invention. He also personifies Nature, saying that it deceives and that a “writer of fiction only follows Nature’s lead.” (Nabokov par. 16)

Nabokov uses many different allusions. These can be found all over the essay. He throws them in to use as examples, and things the reader can use to better understand what point he is trying to get across. In the very beginning of the essay he uses the allusion of Flaubert and the letter to start off and get the audience thinking. (Nabokov par. 2) He then uses the allusion of Madame Bovary in paragraph 3. In paragraph 4 he talks about Jane Austen and Bleak House. In paragraph 15 he talks about the story of the boy who cried wolf. These are used to put depth in his essay.

Nabokov, Vladimir. “Good Readers and Good Writers”. Lectures on Literatures. 1948. Lecture. PDF file.