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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Kinbote notes that the poem alludes to what fictional character?
2. Where did Kinbote and Shade meet?
3. On what day did John Shade begin composing his poem "Pale Fire?"
4. Following the death of King Charles' mother, Queen Blenda, a seance is held for what purpose?
5. Who helps King Charles escape?
Short Essay Questions
1. How does Nabokov immediately create an artificial reality in the foreword to the novel Pale Fire?
2. What was the original use of the secret passageway in the Zemblan castle? Where does it lead?
3. How are Gradus and Kinbote similar?
4. What are some ways Kinbote tries to make the poem be about himself as opposed to Shade's childhood?
5. Cite an early clue that Charles Kinbote is an unreliable narrator.
6. Briefly describe John and Sybil Shade's relationship.
7. Give a brief synopsis of King Charles' escape.
8. What are a few of John Shade's pet peeves?
9. What are some early examples of reflection as a theme in the poem "Pale Fire?"
10. Does it surprise you that John Shade renounces religion yet he wants to believe in the after-life?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Reflection is a major motif of the fictional poem "Pale Fire," and in the novel's commentary and foreword.
Give specific examples of Nabokov's use of reflection as it pertains to looking back at past events?
How does Nabokov use reflection in terms of mirror images or opposites?
How do these two interpretations of reflection work together in Shade's writing, and Kinbote's commentary?
Essay Topic 2
In the foreword, Kinbote suggests that the novel be read in a unique way.
How does he feel the novel should be read?
Why does he think it should be read this way?
What are your immediate thoughts on the narrator after he suggests this?
Why do you think Nabokov chooses to have Kinbote make this suggestion?
Essay Topic 3
On page 156, in the commentary to Line 172, John Shade bemoans the way most of his students read and interpret literature.
Relate Shade's thoughts in the final paragraph on page 156 to the way Kinbote interprets the poem "Pale Fire."
How does Kinbote respond to Shade's commentary?
What does this tell us about Kinbote?
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This section contains 951 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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