The aesthetic representation of Bergsons duration and lepidopterology reflected in Nabokovs literature

Abstract

Vladimir Nabokov was both a prominent writer in both Russian and English and a distinguished lepidopterist of the 20th century. Being an avid reader of Bergson, Nabokovs literature was influenced by Bergsons notion of duration and ideas of non-linear time and space. Literature and science merged together to form a unique literary aesthetic characterized by multiplicities of intensities and elevations as well as natures deceptive qualities. I argue that Nabokovs literature attempts to break conventional times limitations through written memory. Despair and Invitation to a Beheading are chosen to trace Nabokovs aesthetic and the influence of duration prior to his professional career as a lepidopterist. This is then compared to his redefined aesthetic later in his life as a result of Nabokovs advancement in Lepidoptery and his transition from writing for a Russian audience to an American one. The texts used to trace this movement and transition are Pale Fire and Speak, Memory.