Nabokov- Thesis

Question 1- Thesis

      

          Vladimir Nabokov’s lecture, “Good Readers and Good Writers,” is a simple set of instructions on how to write or consume a great work of literature. Its purpose is to teach the reader the proper attitude to have when reading a great novel, story, or other work of literature. As Nabokov himself says, “I propose to develop [artistic sense] in myself and in others whenever I have the chance.” This artistic sense is vital to being a good reader, and so it is Nabokov’s purpose to develop it in his readers.

           

            The thesis of the lecture is simple, though it is not explicitly stated in the piece. Readers are kept wondering- at first, the essay seems to contain a certain lack of flow and theme. In the end, however, the thesis is plain. Nabokov says that everything about writing and reading is a balance. It is a balance between the reader and the writer, the artist and the scientist. This balance is what produces good readers and good writers. Nabokov himself states, “The best temperament for a reader to have, or to develop, is a combination of the artistic and the scientific one.” By implicitly stating this thesis, he succeeds in drawing his readers into the mindset of the “good reader, good writer.”

Nabokov, Vladimir. "Good Readers and Good Writers." Lecture