THE MOTIF OF MOVEMENT AND SEMANTICS OF CULTURAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL TOPOS IN V. NABOKOV’S NOVEL “DESPAIR”
DOI: 10.23951/1609-624X-2018-6-112-119
The article gives an analysis of the poetic structure of space in Nabokov’s novel “Despair”. Close attention is paid to the motif of homelessness, not related to the external circumstances of life (the main character in the novel, Herman has an apartment), but to his inner sense about the meaning of existence. This key feature of the character determines his position – in motion. The temporary destinations of the character (the semantics of temporality, non-permanence: hotels, taverns, post offices), and the direction of Herman’s travel (closer to Russia or South-West Europe) are also important in understanding the concept of the novel. The spatial choice reflects also the inner turmoil of the character, his national belonging to two cultures (Russian and German). The character’s choices fluctuate, and this is reflected in his movements: he approaches Russia, then moves away. It is important to note that the specificity of the novel’s poetics of space is revealed in the comparison of forced and desired, real and imaginary moves of the character. Key scenes of the story are correlated with different countries: Herman discovers his twin in the Czech Republic, he commits murder in Germany, writes the text about the idea of murder and substitution (designed to prove his genius) in France, but he plans to transfer the manuscript to writer-emigrant from Russia and dreams that his novel will be known to carriers of Russian culture, including those in Soviet Russia. In addition to these countries, the field of the character’s consciousness the novel includes countries such as Italy and France. Accordingly, the article explores the ways of constructing the image of different countries, cities, some places and reveal how the space perception of the characters contributes to their disclosure. The space-related motif of movement allows us to distinguish the author’s position and the position of the unreliable narrator and specify the artistic methods of disclosure of the selfdetermination and self-identification problem created in the novel.
Keywords: russian emigration literature, V. Nabokov, motif of movement, artistic space
References:
1. Silant’ev I. Motiv kak problema narratologii [Motive as a problem of narratology]. Kritika i semiotika – Critique & Semiotics, 2002, issue 5, pp. 32–62 (in Russian).
2. Aleksandrov V. Potustoronnost’ v “Dare” V. Nabokova [Supernatural in “The Gift” by V. Nabokov]. V. V. Nabokov: PRO ET CONTRA. Lichnost’ i tvorchestvo Vladimira Nabokova v otsenke russkikh i zarubezhnykh mysliteley i issledovateley. Antologiya [V. V. Nabokov: PRO ET CONTRA. Personality and creativity of Vladimir Nabokov in the assessment of Russian and foreign thinkers and researchers. Anthology]. Saint Petersburg, Russian Christian Humanities Institute Publ., 1997, pp. 49–51 (in Russian).
3. Ukhova E. Prizma pamyati v romanakh Vladimira Nabokova [The prism of memory in the novels of Vladimir Nabokov]. Voprosy Literatury, 2003, no. 4. URL: http://magazines.russ.ru/voplit/2003/4/uhov.html (accessed 12 March 2018) (in Russian).
4. Poleva E. A. Motiv ischeznoveniya v romanakh V. Nabokova kontsa 1920–1930-kh godov. Dis. kand. fi lol. nauk [The motif of disappearance in the novels of V. Nabokov in late 1920–1930-ies. Diss. cand. of philol. sci.]. Tomsk, 2008. 123 p. (in Russian).
5. Levin Yu. I. Izbrannyye trudy. Poetika. Semiotika [Selected works. Poetics. Semiotics]. Moscow, Yazyki russkoy kul’tury Publ., 1998. 824 p. (in Russian).
6. Poleva E. A. Syuzhet natsional’noy identifi katsii geroya romana V. Nabokova “Podvig” [The story of the national identity of the hero of the novel of Vladimir Nabokov “Podvig”]. Problemy natsional’noy identichnosti v russkoy literature XX veka: po materialam 2-y Internet-konferentsii “Russkoyazychnaya literatura v kontekste slavyanskoy kul’tury: problemy natsional’noy identichnosti” (30 oktyabrya – 10 noyabrya 2009 g.). Ed. T. L. Rybal’chenko [Problems of national identity in Russian literature of the 20th century: based on the materials of the 2nd Internet Conference “Russian Literature in the Context of the Slavic Culture: Problems of National Identity” (October 30 – November 10, 2009). Scientifi c ed. by T. L. Rybalchenko]. Tomsk, TSU Publ., 2011. Pp. 145–163 (in Russian).
7. Semyonova S. Dva polyusa russkogo ekzistentsializma. Proza G. Ivanova i V. Nabokova-Sirina [Two poles of Russian existentialism. Prose of Ivanov and Vladimir Nabokov-Sirin]. Novyy mir, 1999, no. 9 (in Russian). URL: http://magazines.russ.ru/novyi_mi/1999/9/semen.html (accessed 27 January 2018).
8. Poleva E. A. Natsional’naya identifi katsiya geroya v romane V. Nabokova “Otchayaniye” [National self-identifi cation of a character in “The Despair” by Vladimir Nabokov]. Vestnik TGU. Filologiya – Tomsk State University Journal of Philology, 2009, no. 4, pp. 75–86 (in Russian).
9. Poleva E. A. Ya i Drugoy v zhizni i iskusstve: V. V. Nabokov “Otchayaniye” i M. M. Bakhtin “Avtor i geroy v esteticheskoy deyatel’nosti” [Me and the Other in life and art: V. V. Nabokov “Despair” and M. M. Bakhtin “Author and character in aesthetic activity”]. Nabokovskiy sbornik, 2011, no. 1, pp. 140–148 (in Russian).
10. Matveev G. F., Nenasheva Z. S. (eds.) Istoriya yuzhnykh i zapadnykh slavyan: v 2 t. T.2: Noveysheye vremya [History of the Southern and Western Slavs: in 2 vol. Vol. 2: Modern time.]. Moscow, MSU Publ., 2001, 272 p. (in Russian). URL: https://studfiles.net/previeshh/2490765/ (accessed 27 January 2018).
11. Nabokov V. V. Sobraniye sochineniy v 4 t. T. 3 [Collected works in 4 vol. Vol. 3]. Moscow, Pravda Publ., 1990. 369 p. (in Russian).
12. Lotman Yu. M. Vnutri myslyashchikh mirov. Chelovek – tekst – semiosfera – istoriya [Inside thinking worlds. Man-text-semiosphere-history]. Moscow, Yazyki russkoy kul’tury Publ., 1996. 464 p.(in Russian).
13. Meshcherikov A. N. Gora Fudzi. Mezhdu zemley i nebom [Mount Fuji. Between earth and sky]. Moscow, Natalis Publ., 2010. 288 p. (in Russian).
14. Dolinin A. Nabokov, Dostoyevskiy i dostoyevshchina [Nabokov, Dostoyevsky and dostoevshchina]. Staroye literaturnoye obozreniye, 2001, no. 1 (277) (in Russian). URL: http://magazines.russ.ru/slo/2001/1/dol.html (accessed 15 March 2018).
15. Lotman Yu. M. V shkole poeticheskogo slova: Pushkin. Lermontov. Gogol’ [At school of poetic words: Pushkin. Lermontov. Gogol]. Moscow, Prosveshcheniye Publ., 1988. 352 p. (in Russian).
16. Poleva E. A. Etika postupka i etika pis’ma v romane V. Nabokova “Otchayaniye” [Ethics of act and ethics of writing in the novel of V. Nabokov “Despair”]. Russkaya literatura v XX veke: imena, problemy, kul’turnyy dialog, 2006, no. 8, pp. 27–39 (in Russian).
( 472.8 kB ) 
( 465.68 kB )
Issue: 6, 2018
Series of issue: Issue 6
Rubric: PROBLEMS AND POETICS OF RUSSIAN LITERATURE OF THE XIX–XXI CENTURIES
Pages: 112 — 119
Downloads: 810