Vladimir Nabokov Lectures On Literature Pdf [exclusive] <LATEST – PLAYBOOK>
Vladimir Nabokov’s Lectures on Literature: A Portal to “Curious, Unprejudiced, Tender” Reading
1. Overview and Origins
Lectures on Literature is a posthumously published collection of literary criticism drawn from the lecture courses Vladimir Nabokov delivered to students at Wellesley College (1941–1948) and Cornell University (1948–1959). The book was edited by Fredson Bowers (1980) and later supplemented by Lectures on Russian Literature (1981) and Lectures on Don Quixote (1983).
The "story" of these lectures is one of preservation. Though Nabokov never polished them for publication himself—they were published posthumously against his earlier wishes but with his family's blessing—they remain the ultimate guide for "Good Readers". He believed that to truly read, one must have: Imagination Dictionary at their side. The ability to see the author as a "Great Deceiver" vladimir nabokov lectures on literature pdf
The Nabokov Method: " Caress the Details"
Nabokov famously opened his course with a disclaimer that would terrify a standard English department. He told his students: Vladimir Nabokov’s Lectures on Literature : A Portal
- Imagination (a vivid one).
- A good memory.
- A dictionary.
- Some artistic sensitivity.
For Nabokov, reading wasn't a social exercise or a way to learn "lessons." He famously detested "general ideas" and "isms". Instead, he argued that a "wise reader" reads not with their heart or brain, but with their spine. Imagination (a vivid one)
"I want you to read the book for the sake of its contents, not for the sake of the 'message' or the 'significance'... We shall take our time and we shall go into the texture of the work."