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<p>The article examines how Vladimir Nabokov probes the boundaries between autobiography and fiction in his autobiography, <italic>Speak, Memory</italic>, and his last finished novel, <italic>Look at the Harlequins!</italic> Both autobiographies and first-person novels project possible worlds, that is, alternative perspectives on empirical reality. The Nabokov of <italic>Speak, Memory</italic> and V.V. in <italic>Look at the Harlequins!</italic> are both focalizers in possible worlds derived from the historical Nabokov’s empirical reality. The common origin that binds them together opens up a multi-directional channel between the worlds, allowing the reader to gain a deeper understanding of Nabokov’s life story than either of the texts could offer on its own. Nabokov’s two texts highlight the fundamental similarities between the nonfictional genre of the autobiography and the fictional genre of the novel by exploring the transitory zone between fiction and reality. (BGY)</p>
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The article examines how Vladimir Nabokov probes the boundaries between autobiography and fiction in his autobiography, Speak, Memory, and his last finished novel, Look at the Harlequins! Both autobiographies and first-person novels project possible worlds, that is, alternative perspectives on empirical reality. The Nabokov of Speak, Memory and V.V. in Look at the Harlequins! are both focalizers in possible worlds derived from the historical Nabokov’s empirical reality. The common origin that binds them together opens up a multi-directional channel between the worlds, allowing the reader to gain a deeper understanding of Nabokov’s life story than either of the texts could offer on its own. Nabokov’s two texts highlight the fundamental similarities between the nonfictional genre of the autobiography and the fictional genre of the novel by exploring the transitory zone between fiction and reality. (BGY)

The Nonidentical Twin: The Possible Worlds of Nabokov’s <italic>Speak, Memory and Look at the Harlequins!</italic>

Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The Nonidentical Twin: The Possible Worlds of Nabokov’s 

The article examines how Vladimir Nabokov probes the boundaries between autobiography and fiction in his autobiography, Speak, Memory, and his last finished...

The Nonidentical Twin: The Possible Worlds of Nabokov’s Speak, Memory and Look at the Harlequins!

Published Online: Jun 28, 2023

Page range: 143 - 163

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30608/hjeas/2023/29/1/8

Keywords
Nabokov, autobiography, possible worlds theory, ontology, reality, fiction

© 2023 Brigitta Gyimesi, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The Nonidentical Twin: The Possible Worlds of Nabokov’s Speak, Memory and Look at the Harlequins!

Published Online: Jun 28, 2023

Page range: 143 - 163

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30608/hjeas/2023/29/1/8

KeywordsNabokov, autobiography, possible worlds theory, ontology, reality, fiction

© 2023 Brigitta Gyimesi, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Nabokov, autobiography, possible worlds theory, ontology, reality, fiction