Date of Award

Fall 1997

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

Program/Concentration

English

Committee Director

Philip Raisor

Committee Member

Jeffrey H. Richards

Committee Member

Andrea Slane

Call Number for Print

Special Collections; LD4331.E64 S43

Abstract

This thesis investigates the influence Henri Bergson's philosophy had on Vladimir Nabokov's writing. Bergson's major concerns, as espoused in Time and Free Will, Creative Evolution, and Matter and Memory, are recognized in Pale Fire, The Defense, and King, Queen, Knave, as well as in the various reworkings of the novelist's autobiography, Speak, Memory. These texts illustrate a shared concern with issues about time and space, aesthetic experience, instinct and analysis, and the importance of memory. At the heart of all of these matters rests a common concern for both writers--the primacy of lived experience and the necessity of free will.

With its juxtaposition of time and space, exploration of memory vs. present experience, concern with consciousness, and examination of the roles of artist and perceiver, Pale Fire provides a broad general introduction to Bergson's philosophy. The Defense remains concerned with aesthetic creativity and the role of the perceiver in the creation of art, with Luzhin illustrating what Bergson warned would happen should one become exclusively aligned with the inner world. King, Queen, Knave examines the dangers of living too much in the external world, and questions our ability to control our own lives. Nabokov's autobiography offers personal response to this question of control, illustrating engagement with Bergson's ideas in approaches to non-fiction and the novelist's own life.

It seems risky to recognize influences between two who so adamantly oppose generalizations and classification; this is, indeed, the thing both men resist in their work. The two writers both work toward a common goal, however, and Nabokov's respect for Bergson's work manifests itself in his own writing as interested exploration and elaboration of the philosopher's most important tenets. I suggest that a look at the relationship between their concerns calls for common connotations behind notions of influence to be reexamined. Recognition of influence as an engagement with and a development of ideas produces a dynamic advocacy rather than a struggle for authority. De-emphasis of agency is what happens when Nabokov is influenced by Bergson--his embracement of Bergson empowers resistance to assimilation.

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DOI

10.25777/2tc2-tc53

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