Abstract
It is well known that Nabokov's short story "Cloud, Castle, Lake" abounds in allusions to Tiutchev's lyrics, functioning as its metatextual "re-reading." The article takes its departure from calling attention to an unexplored Tiutchevian allusion in the story—the image of "the fine hair of a spiderweb," the pivotal image of Tiutchev's famous nature lyric "There is in early autumn …" ("Est' v oseni pervonachal'noi …"; 1857). I propose to examine the recurrence of this Tiutchevian topos in Nabokov's Russian writings, focusing on its function as a nostalgic sign of a Russian "paradise lost." I will also take into account Nabokov's possible polemic references, in "Cloud, Castle, Lake," to two other Russian readers of the same Tiutchev poem, Leo Tolstoy and Osip Mandelstam.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.