Nabokov’s Secret Trees / Stephen H. Blackwell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Blackwell, Stephen H. (Stephen Hardwick), 1965- Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Trees in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (302 p.) : 20 b&w illustrations, 2 b&w tables

Place of Publication:

Toronto : University of Toronto Press, [2024]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

In nearly all his literary works, Vladimir Nabokov inscribed networks of trees to create meaningful patterns of significance around one or more of his passionate interests – in consciousness, memory, creativity, epistemology, ethics, and love, with a deep connection to nature serving as a constant undercurrent. Nabokov’s Secret Trees explores this neglected area of his art, one that positions nature as a hidden but vital core of his work. The book presents an entirely new, previously unsuspected Nabokov, one who crafts intricate patterns of arboreal imagery lurking behind his often-baroque psychological narratives. It reveals how Nabokov activates arboreal potentials by exploring the hidden ubiquity of trees, their essence as complex natural phenomena, and their role as quiet presences that have accompanied and fostered human civilization and art since their beginnings. The book uncovers how trees offer a rich and intricate field for structural, semantic, allusive, and metaphorical exploration. Based on the published corpus as well as archival materials, Nabokov’s Secret Trees demonstrates that trees not only populate Nabokov’s art in stunning, yet furtive, abundance, but also as mysterious natural entities, directly animating his works’ worlds and his readers’ experience of them.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

Chapter One. Nabokov’s Origins in the Poetry of Trees

Chapter Two. Trees on the Mind: Consciousness and Memory

Chapter Three. Twigs, Shadows, and the Ramifications of Art

Chapter Four. “Knowledge-Amplified Love”: Trees and Epistemology in Nabokov’s Worlds

Chapter Five. Trees in the Frame: Art about Art about Trees

Chapter Six. Ada’s Exuberant Trees

Epilogue: In and Out of the Pines

Appendices

Nabokov’s Invented and Real Trees, in Images

Lists of Trees in Nabokov’s Works

All Trees (and Effects) in Nabokov’s Poems, by Year

List of Trees and Shrubs Mentioned in the Works of Shakespeare

Notes

Works Cited and Consulted

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 26. Aug 2024)

ISBN:

1-4875-5443-5

1-4875-5444-3