Nabokov- Tone

Question #2

        

          Although Vladimir Nabokov is presenting a lecture to students of literature, he strikes a rather informal tone with the piece “Good Readers and Good Writers.” In only the second sentence of the piece, he informs readers that he has a plan. Using first person, he tells them, “My plan is to deal lovingly, in loving and lingering detail, with several European Masterpieces.” With one simple sentence, Nabokov reveals that he is not just delivering a lecture. It is a love, an infatuation, with which his readers are dealing. Naturally, this gives the piece a lighter, more informal tone than if Nabokov were merely delivering an impersonal lecture on the finer points of writing.

            Halfway through the piece, a startling interruption occurs. Instead of continuing to describe the beauty of a harmonious and eternal union of a good reader and a great writer, Nabokov takes a break and delivers a little narrative. He says, “One evening at a remote provincial college through which I happened to be jogging on a protracted lecture tour, I suggested a little quiz.” This “little quiz” is a list of qualities that might, or might not, be found in a good reader. Contributing to the lighter tone of the piece, the “little quiz” adds greatly to the essay by keeping readers alert and interested and keeping an informal but informative tone.

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