N. Gogol, A. Bely, V. Nabokov: the mastery of perspective in the novel “The Gift”

INTRODUCTION. The aim of this study is to reveal the dialogic specificity of Nabokov’s relationship with Russian classics, as defined by Bakhtin. It is noted that Nabokov’s dialogic discourse is represented by two opposing vectors. On the one hand, it was a continuation of the tradition of Pushkin, Gogol, and Bunin, while on the other hand, a confrontation with Dostoevsky, Leskov, and Chernyshevsky. The fundamental concept for V. Nabokov is the idea of the intrinsic value of literature, its independence from political and ideological factors, which the writer constantly declared in his articles and speeches. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The materials used include the works of N. Gogol “Nevsky Prospect”, “Diary of a Madman”, “Dead Souls”, and Nabokov’s novels “The Gift” and “Invitation to a Beheading”. The research methodology draws on M.M. Bakhtin’s theory of dialogue, V. Nabokov’s analytical works, Andrei Bely’s methodology in his book “The Mastery of Gogol”, as well as on comparative-historical and structural-semiotic methods. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. The relevance of the study stems from the importance of exploring the dialogic connections between texts from the perspective of the two authors’ artistic techniques. The novelty of the topic is evident: the research provided an opportunity to compare the artistic “optics” of the two writers within the framework of Andrei Bely’s research method. CONCLUSION. A comparison of fragments from “Dead Souls” and “The Gift” allows us to conclude that Nabokov uses the technique of pictorial perspective, tracing back to Gogol. The texts of Nabokov’s novels reveal a rich array of allusions, hidden quotes, and motifs that serve as tools for dialogic discourse. A significant aspect is also the search for a synthesis of the real and unreal narrative planes through unexpected shifts in perspective, changes in point of view, a combination of semantic and logical shifts, and the grotesque and absurd.

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