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영어

It is said that Nabokov is a doubly obscure novelist. This saying might have various meanings; for he is a Janus novelist : Professionally he created works inaccessible to all but the few privileged readers capable of deciphering his intricate patterns. Personally he wanted to make himself the sole author of the image of "Nabokov" he presented himself to the world, agreeing to grant interviews only if the question could be submitted to him beforehand in writing. It means that he wishes to control his own art by the power of his will. Nabokov emphasizes the absence of reality : it means his novels do not represent his past. However, he uses lots of his personal experiences in the novels. He writes a sort of autobiography or biography in most of his novels. It is the same with Pale Fire. On the surface Pale Fire has a simple structure where the two characters Kinbote and Botkin arc Nabokov's doubles in a doppleganger device. The two characters become Nabokov's galley slaves, creating their master's autobiography. However, in the deeper structure the main characters Shade and Kinbote are combined in contrapuntal theme. The most Nobokovian character Shade represents reason, present, and hetrosexual love which are related with limited life and death while Kinbote represents insanity, past, and homosexual love which is related with unlimited illusion in Nabokovian sense. On the surface each character cannot express any meaning within their own world. But when they are combined in a contrapuntal theme, they do have, meaning, though they are not independent, a kind of existential meaning. Shade feels the meaninglessness of his aunt, daughter and his own death. He creates meaning by including their deaths in the novel. Kinbote, who represents the illusion's world, also gives a meaning to his insane world within Shade's world. When the two worlds are mixed, it is not the world of representation but that of topsy-turviy coincidental texture. That is the kind of world that Nabokov wants to create in his novels. The novelist who doubts the representation of reality tries to create his own artificial world. On the surface Kinbote becomes Botkin, Botkin represents Nabokov, so they are his doubles. And in the deep structure Kinbote and Shade are combined into one in contrapuntal device. So all the characters become the doubles of Nabokov. Nabokov creates his artificial world by making the characters play his roles, using his own perceptions and personal experiences, and then distorting them. That is a world where he can live consciously and eternally.