silkekranz

One of the more interesting moments in the story was when Cincinnatus' mother (or someone pretending to be her) visits him in prison. She tells him about 'nonnons' which she had as a child - ugly warped objects that you held up to an ugly warped mirror so that their reflection then looked beautiful and like a recognizable object. This was an important theme. Throughout the story, Cincinnatus has a 'double' - another Cincinnatus who does/says what he really wants to while he does/says what he is supposed to. His double leaves the prison to go home, moves the bolted down table, and dances with the jailer, among other things. His crime is also interesting; he's accused of 'gnostical turpitude' which seems to me being too hungry for knowledge and seeking it out. I enjoyed this book and the length (short) was just right. It's interesting how Nabokov's alternate worlds (here and also in Ada) are only a little different from reality, or different in ways that most writers ignore. It's very subtle. Themes: reality, knowledge, doubleness, questioning things, dangers of celebrating irrationality

2022-11-14 16:55