''Vladimir Nabokov's Comic Quest for Reality' - Nottingham eTheses

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initiated the insight. In listening to what he took
to be Sebastian's breathing, V'-s readiness to receive
enlightenment was heightened to maturity, and if the
maturation was there, enlightenment would equally
have been brought about by the banging of a door or
somebody
shouting.
This experience, so much in line with Sebastian's
thoughts and experiences as present in his novels,
creates in V the state of mind that alone enables him
to read and understand, and comment on, these novels
exactly as the author meant them to be read and under-
stood. To a certain degree, no doubt, prepared by the
novels, it, in turn, opens V's mind to their truth and
grants him a deeper insight into their real meaning
than to anybody else.
In view of this it seems safe to dismiss Mr Good-
man's comments as misinterpretations, and to accept
V's interpretations of Sebastian's novels as being
closest to their real import.
The interpretation of The Real Life of Sebastian
Knight has so far been based on the premise, sug-
gested by the tone and the structure of the novel,
that V and Sebastian are actually two persons. This
is true only in a very specific sense. Charles Nicol
discusses in some detail the similarities between
Sebastian's books and the book
69
about. him. These are
4.
close similarities in structure and style and content.
Each of Sebastian's books mirrors in part The Real Life
of Sebastian Knight, and this novel, in its turn,
reads like a clever combination of all the structural,