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Step 1
Read the Foreword, the poem “Pale Fire,” the Commentary and Index very carefully. Write down when you find contradictions, disagreements or details that seem strange to you in the text.
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Step 2
Read “Pale Fire” and the Commentary together, and then read the Commentary on its own. See if these readings change your perception of the characters and who is the “real” author.
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Step 3
Follow the story Kinbote tells about Zembla in the Commentary. See if you can find parallels to the events of this story in the poem “Pale Fire.”
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Step 4
Don’t skim over the entries in the Index. Some very important nuggets can be found here.
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Step 1
Notice when Kinbote reveals himself to be an unreliable narrator. Look at how he talks about himself and how this influences what you think about him.
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Step 2
Make a note of when it becomes obvious to you that Kinbote is Charles II, the Last King of Zembla. Based upon your reading of the novel, you will decide whether there’s really a Zembla or not.
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Step 3
Take note of the many struggles Shade has with family, friends, academics, critics and himself. Especially look at how he views “art.”
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Step 4
Look at how Kinbote and Shade’s relationship is portrayed by Kinbote in the Foreword and Commentary and by Shade in the poem “Pale Fire.” Think about how close (or not) the two really are.
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Step 5
Scrutinize Kinbote’s motivations for being Shade’s good friend.
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Step 6
Pay attention to Botkin’s involvement in the narrative. Look for evidence that suggests he might be the “real” author of the whole thing in the Foreword, “Pale Fire,” Commentary and Index.
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Step 7
Decide if Kinbote and Shade are even “real.” Some readers suggest that Shade is Kinbote’s creation, and others say Kinbote and Shade are created by someone else.
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Step 1
Review the ideas behind New Criticism. New Criticism was a common practice of literary theory at the time “Pale Fire” was written and published, and it was beginning to be challenged. New Critics believe that all that is needed to understand a text is the text itself; outside sources are not to be used. For more information on New Criticism, see Resources.
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Step 2
Study how Nabokov challenges New Criticism in “Pale Fire.” For example, Kinbote is a critic, but his Commentary (a genre of literary criticism) is littered with autobiographical details. Also, Nabokov adds autobiographical details from his own life in the novel (Shade is killed as a result of mistaken identity, as was Nabokov’s own father). To discover who the “real” author is, the autobiographical information in the Commentary and poem will have to be taken seriously.
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Step 3
Based on your close reading of the four sections, decide who the “real” author is. Give specific examples from the text for your conclusion.
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Step 4
Now decide if it’s important to know who the “real” author is. Because “Pale Fire” is fiction, the real author is truly Nabokov. Some readers say that what’s truly important is what the novel “Pale Fire” is saying about literature, literary criticism and politics. See if you agree with this.
