Point of View

Nabokov writes in a third person omniscient perspective. While events are described relative to the current character of interest, the perspective routinely shifts between different characters in the same paragraph. This transition can be abrupt and potentially confusing. The reader is privy to the character's thoughts and feelings; the narrative is colored by the character's point of view.

The narrative shifts not only from person to person, but also through time. Nabokov might, for example, begin by establishing an event, only to flashback to prior happenings that lead up to that event. The author will also jump forward in time, offering a glimpse of future events, only to return to the "present" to resume the original storyline. This gives the story a sense of simultaneity, with past, present and future used interchangeably.

The author, in addition to shifting the perspective through time, will also use a...