The Poetics of Vladimir Nabokov’s Russian Novels in The Synthesis of Modernism and Postmodernism
Abstract
This article examines the unique artistic synthesis of modernist and postmodernist poetics within the Russian novels of Vladimir Nabokov. By analyzing the evolution from his early Russian works to his major English-language novels, specifically “Pnin” and “Lolita”, the study identifies a distinctive shift in structural architecture and narrative play. The analysis focuses on how V.Nabokov’s cosmopolitan journey informed his experimentation with intertextuality, irony, and the “matryoshka” principle of nested narratives. It argues that V.Nabokov’s creative output serves as a comprehensive literary map, bridging the gap between European aesthetic traditions and the emerging postmodern sensibilities of the mid-20th century. Ultimately, the study highlights how author’s linguistic transition redefined the boundaries of the novel genre, establishing a metapoetic system that prioritizes aesthetic bliss over objective realism.