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Essay Topic 1

Charles Kinbote is an unreliable narrator.

Cite specific examples of how Vladimir Nabokov portrays Kinbote as an unreliable narrator.

Do you think this tactic was effective for the story? Why or why not?

How would the novel, Pale Fire, have been different if Kinbote was a reliable narrator?

Why did Nabokov choose to portray Kinbote the way he did?

Essay Topic 2

Charles Kinbote is clearly infatuated with John Shade. What do you think Shade's feeling are towards Kinbote in general?

If you were John Shade, how would you react to Kinbote's commentary on "Pale Fire"?

Essay Topic 3

The first lines of the poem "Pale Fire" portrays a bird flying into a window. Charles Kinbote interprets these lines as they may relate to John Shade's experience.

How is Charles Kinbote like a bird who flies into a window?

Essay Topic 4

Reflection is a major motif of the...

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