Vladimir Nabokov and the Ideological Aesthetic: A Study of his Novels and Plays, 1926–1939 (Cultural History and Literary Imagination)

This book argues that ideology is a prism through which the work of Vladimir Nabokov needs to be considered. It is thus the first attempt to foreground questions of ideology and politics within a field that has historically been resistant to such readings. The perception of Nabokov as an apolitical writer is one which the author encouraged throughout the latter part of his career in his non-fictional writings and in the small number of well-rehearsed interviews that he gave. When questions of ideology and politics have arisen in scholarship, they have only been featured in passing or have merely re-confirmed the author's self-designation as an ±old-fashioned liberal?. When we consider that Nabokov lived through some of the most traumatic historical ruptures of the past century then this lack of reference to ideology in the critical literature appears quite revealing. Through the analysis of works which have previously received little attention as well as new perspectives on better known works, this book demonstrates how ideology and politics were ever-present and had an indelible effect on Nabokov's literary aesthetics. -- From publisher's website Introduction: Ideology and the ideological aesthetic -- The ruthless schemers of Tomsk and Atomsk: The Man from the USSR and The Waltz Invention -- Bits of my past litter the floor: ideology, epistemology, and the "Modernism of Underdevelopment" in the eye and despair -- "Violin in a Void": totalitarianism on trial in invitation to a beheading -- My kingdom: the formation of the ideological aesthetic in The Gift -- The absolute solution: the real life of Sebastian Knight and the ideology of aesthetic autonomy -- Conclusion: ideology as aesthetic: the aesthetic as ideology The perception of Nabokov as an apolitical writer is one which the author encouraged in the latter part of his career, despite having lived through the traumatic historical ruptures of the past century. This book argues that ideology and politics actually had an indelible effect on his literary aesthetics and explores his work through this lens Udith Dematagoda. Originally Presented As The Author's Thesis (ph.d.)--university Of Glasgow. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 195-200) And Index.