Guilt and Shame in Who You Are: An Analysis of Kinbote in the Novel, Pale Fire
Annalynn Winters
English 250
Dr. Sarah Barber
9 May 2012
Guilt and Shame in Who You Are: An Analysis of Kinbote in the Novel Pale Fire
Out of the many forms of literary criticism that have been imposed on Pale Fire, there is one in particular that Vladimir Nabokov consistently refutes: psychoanalytic criticism. Though Nabokov regularly discredits psychoanalysis, I believe that it is crucial to use a psychoanalytic lens when looking at Pale Fire in general but more specifically when looking at the character of Charles Kinbote. As discussed by Peter Welsen in his article, “Charles Kinbote’s psychosis—a key to Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire,” throughout his career, Vladimir Nabokov showed clear disdain for Freudian psychoanalysis. Nabokov consistently refuted Freudian readings of his work through interviews, forewords, and essays (383). While Nabokov is anything but subtle concerning his dislike for Freud and his theories, rejecting the “vulgar, shabby, fundamentally medieval world of Freud” (383), he does not dismiss psychoanalysis as a whole; rather, he is dismissing those that look at his literature from a purely traditional Freudian standpoint. Welsen explains that in an interview, Nabokov states, “all novelists of any worth are psychological novelists” (384). Nabokov dismisses most psychoanalytic critics due to the fact that they are interpreting him from a Freudian standpoint. Nabokov writes his works from a psychoanalytical viewpoint; however, from the stance of a traditional Freudian critic, it is as if Nabokov has projected his own being into the literature. Nabokov is more than aware of psychoanalytic conventions; he employs them in his works while using them as a tool in which to construct his literature. Therefore, it is my opinion that a psychoanalytic reading of Nabokov’s Pale Fire is necessary. Rather than view this novel from a traditional Freudian standpoint, which Nabokov blatantly refutes, I will be looking at Nabokov’s novel Pale Fire
English 250
Dr. Sarah Barber
9 May 2012
Guilt and Shame in Who You Are: An Analysis of Kinbote in the Novel Pale Fire
Out of the many forms of literary criticism that have been imposed on Pale Fire, there is one in particular that Vladimir Nabokov consistently refutes: psychoanalytic criticism. Though Nabokov regularly discredits psychoanalysis, I believe that it is crucial to use a psychoanalytic lens when looking at Pale Fire in general but more specifically when looking at the character of Charles Kinbote. As discussed by Peter Welsen in his article, “Charles Kinbote’s psychosis—a key to Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire,” throughout his career, Vladimir Nabokov showed clear disdain for Freudian psychoanalysis. Nabokov consistently refuted Freudian readings of his work through interviews, forewords, and essays (383). While Nabokov is anything but subtle concerning his dislike for Freud and his theories, rejecting the “vulgar, shabby, fundamentally medieval world of Freud” (383), he does not dismiss psychoanalysis as a whole; rather, he is dismissing those that look at his literature from a purely traditional Freudian standpoint. Welsen explains that in an interview, Nabokov states, “all novelists of any worth are psychological novelists” (384). Nabokov dismisses most psychoanalytic critics due to the fact that they are interpreting him from a Freudian standpoint. Nabokov writes his works from a psychoanalytical viewpoint; however, from the stance of a traditional Freudian critic, it is as if Nabokov has projected his own being into the literature. Nabokov is more than aware of psychoanalytic conventions; he employs them in his works while using them as a tool in which to construct his literature. Therefore, it is my opinion that a psychoanalytic reading of Nabokov’s Pale Fire is necessary. Rather than view this novel from a traditional Freudian standpoint, which Nabokov blatantly refutes, I will be looking at Nabokov’s novel Pale Fire
Cited: Regensburg, Federal Republic of Germany: Universität Regensburg, 1989. 369- 379 Greenspan, P.S. Practical Guilt: Moral Dilemmas, Emotions, and Social Norms. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.Print. Taylor, Gabriele. Pride, Shame, and Guilt. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985. Print.