Just started reading this. The narrator/commentator is supposed to be an asshole right? Or if not an asshole, he's seriously delusional. Every line in the poem is strung back to him and his home country and stories he told the poet
just finish it
i would flame you for posting a shitty thread but at least it's not a dfw/pynchon thread so whatever.
i feel like this thread is bait, if not, yea gee you're onto something anon
tips for next time: don't shitpost, finish the book first, even if you're not trying to shitpost you are
the Zembla narrative is so horrible and hamfisted I do not understand why people like this book
>>7659042
It's supposed to be horrible and hamfisted, you retard.
>>7660264
It's difficult for this to ever be justified. People need to elaborate when they say things like this.
>>7660278
the narrator is an insufferable sweater-and-oxford prep literati, Nabokov reserves nothing in conveying that
>>7660292
The other anon said it was horrible and hamfisted. This defense covers none of that. He's saying that Nabokov did not do it well, not that he did not like the character.
>>7658860
>Every line in the poem is strung back to him and his home country and stories he told the poet
Yeah. It's supposed to be funny because he's interpreting an obviously autobiographical poem into something about his own ridiculous life. Keep reading, it'll make more sense when you're done.
>>7660306
Pretty much the entire literary world disagrees so it's safe to say he's wrong.
>>7660278
The entire thing is framed as a novel-length, line-by-line analysis of a poem. When the narrator goes off on long rambling tangents about an imaginary country that has nothing to do with the poem, that gives you insight into his character while failing to actually analyze the poem.
It works on a meta-level because it's horrible and hamfisted in the context of being analysis of the poem.
>>7658860
The novel is a failure because there is too little distance between Kinbote's Zemblan nonsense, and Nabokov's own sheltered and privileged life and pursuits (butterflies, chess, literature, etc.)
>>7660323
Not that guy, but: that's not a sufficient argument. Even if he's wrong neither of you have managed to point out why.
>>7660824
he could just read, you know, decades of writing on the topic
>>7660399
>how dare he lead a "privileged" life waaaah
>being this pleb
you sound poor. are you poor?
>>7660837
>plebposting in the >>current year
