The Language of Smell in Vladimir Nabokov’s Mystical Discourse of Prose from His French Period

Abstract

This article focuses on the mystical connotations of the olfactory images in V. Nabokov’s prose from his French period (1937–1940). The authors analyse the connection between Nabokov’s mystical, philosophical, and aesthetic conceptions. They demonstrate that mystical experience is not conveyed by the writer directly but through the narration structure and forms of the mystical code in literature and philosophy (as in N. Gogol, P. Ouspensky, A. Bergson, etc.). The research refers to studies that prove the metafictional nature of Nabokov’s mysticism and its connection with perceptual imagery. As a result, the authors distinguish the ambivalent meaning of olfactory images. Smell is an element of the observer’s sensorial hallucination and a way in which the otherworld impacts on characters’ perception. On the other hand, images of smell are used to assess the ability of language to convey not only familiar smells, but also supersensory experiences. In Nabokov’s prose, the main smell characteristics are the temporal and spatial distance between the source and the subject of perception, the correlation with the observer’s viewpoint, and the peculiarities of nomination. More particularly, the magical meaning of smell images that create the plot for solipsistic characters is associated with the perception of the grotesque nature of smell. The authors conclude that mysticism is an attribute of Nabokov’s fictional world itself. The mystical connotations of smell lie in its transgressive and irrational forms: the fact that smell is difficult to verbalise is due to its ability to transcend the boundaries of fictional worlds, imaginary reality, and narration about it.