Subject
Paris-Shapiro (fwd)
Date
Body
Gavriel Shapiro (Cornell University)
_INVITATION TO A BEHEADING_ IN THE LIGHT OF "PRISON PASTIMES"
A prominent Russian statesman of the turn of the century, V.D.
Nabokov was among the leaders of the Constitutional Democratic (Kadet)
Party and of its faction in the First Duma. When in July of 1906 the Duma
was dissolved, Nabokov Sr., together with other deputies, protested their
dismissal in the Vyborg Manifesto. The Manifesto signators were tried and
in some cases sentenced to jail terms. V.D. Nabokokv was among the latter,
serving three months in St Petersburg's Kresty prison. His prison
experience and his thoughts on the Russian penal system are reflected in
his _Prision Pastimes_ (Tyuremne dosugi [1908]). Nabokov Jr. undoubtedly
understood the importance of this unique first-hand account by his father,
a distinguished criminalist, and apparently employed it in his _Invitation
to a Beheading_ (1935-36), a dystopian novel set in prison.
Comparison of the two texts points to similarities between them,
including everyday prison life and cell interiors, as well as style and
intonation. The novel also contains an allusion to Charles Dickens's
_American Notes_ (1842), pehaps inspired by its mention in _Prison
Pastimes_. Finally, _Invitation to a Beheading_ can be viewed as an
illustration of Nabokov pere's ideas on ethical and legal issues, such as
the correctional function of prison, solitaty confinement, and capital
punishment.
_INVITATION TO A BEHEADING_ IN THE LIGHT OF "PRISON PASTIMES"
A prominent Russian statesman of the turn of the century, V.D.
Nabokov was among the leaders of the Constitutional Democratic (Kadet)
Party and of its faction in the First Duma. When in July of 1906 the Duma
was dissolved, Nabokov Sr., together with other deputies, protested their
dismissal in the Vyborg Manifesto. The Manifesto signators were tried and
in some cases sentenced to jail terms. V.D. Nabokokv was among the latter,
serving three months in St Petersburg's Kresty prison. His prison
experience and his thoughts on the Russian penal system are reflected in
his _Prision Pastimes_ (Tyuremne dosugi [1908]). Nabokov Jr. undoubtedly
understood the importance of this unique first-hand account by his father,
a distinguished criminalist, and apparently employed it in his _Invitation
to a Beheading_ (1935-36), a dystopian novel set in prison.
Comparison of the two texts points to similarities between them,
including everyday prison life and cell interiors, as well as style and
intonation. The novel also contains an allusion to Charles Dickens's
_American Notes_ (1842), pehaps inspired by its mention in _Prison
Pastimes_. Finally, _Invitation to a Beheading_ can be viewed as an
illustration of Nabokov pere's ideas on ethical and legal issues, such as
the correctional function of prison, solitaty confinement, and capital
punishment.