By Connie Nardini
The experience of reading Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov is not what you would call a “cozy” read – not comfort food for the mind.
The 1962 novel is, on one hand, a challenge to one’s ability to solve puzzles and, on the other hand, one of the first postmodern novels that ask the reader to do all the work himself with the smokiest of hints from the author. It seems to use the elements of an old-fashioned term paper, including a forward, a commentary and an index which encircle a long poem called “Pale Fire.” From this, Nabokov creates a novel that doesn’t seem to have coherent plot – a story that contains a do-it-yourself kit.
Posted on October 1, 2007