Wei Du

Wei Du

31 October 2023

Dualistic pattern, Pnin, Squirrel, Structure, Content.

The idea of dualism, the recurring image of squirrel as well as the relationship between Pnin and the narrator have been the bull’s eye for Nabokov and Pnin critics. Nabokov indicates that the structure of the novel has been well designed and that he has had a thought-out plan before setting out to write. Rather than a result of chance inspiration, Pnin has a well-organized pattern and the anecdotes throughout the novel are closely related. Based on the fact that the novel of Pnin revolves around dualism, the dualistic pattern appears in every chapter and the transition from one end to the other end of the dichotomy is implemented by the squirrel, a meaningful symbol in the novel. Structure outshines content, whereas content in turn serves structure. Nabokov fully illustrates the point in his novel Pnin.

© 2023, the Authors. Published by ISCCAC

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