A dead poet, a questionable editor, a 1000-line poem and an epic tale of escape meet in Vladimir Nabokov's 1962 novel "Pale Fire." Despite a wide array of critical acclaim (both praising and condemning), "Pale Fire" ranks no. 53 in the Modern Library's list of 100 best novels. The book's plot centers around an imaginary poem written by an imaginary author and edited by an imaginary editor. As confusing as this may sound on paper, the concept is simple enough to understand once one begins to read.
Set in the fictional town of New Wye, Appalachia, USA, the novel begins just after the murder of the distinguished poet John Shade, who has just finished his masterpiece—a 1000-line poem (actually only 999 lines long, as the last line had not been written before his murder) that tells, through flashbacks and digressions, the story of the poet's life. The manuscript, written on a series of 80 medium-sized index cards, has been seized by Shade's neighbor and self-proclaimed dear friend, Charles Kinbote, a long-time fan of the poet who intends to edit and add footnotes to the poem for publication. The poem is broken into four cantos with Kinbote's commentary following. The book can be read either straight through or bit by bit, jumping back and forth between the poem and the footnotes. Either way, the reader should have no problem understanding the plot.
His notes, much more extensive than the poem itself, tell three interwoven stories: the friendship he imagines he shares with the deceased Shade, the story of the Zemblan King Charles II the Beloved's escape from the Soviet-affiliated revolutionaries who held him imprisoned within his castle and the journey of the king's assassin, Gradus, as he seeks the king.
It seems, however, that Kinbote may not be exactly whom he says—or thinks—he is. It becomes obvious early on that Kinbote had expected this poem to tell the story of the king's flight, which he had been telling in small increments to the poet during the time they spent together. This does not deter Kinbote from telling his story, though; piece-by-piece, the tale of Charles II's escape from Zembla is related to the reader through the poem's commentary. Kinbote grasps at straws to find any reference in the poem that could be applicable to the story he so dearly hoped would be told.
The strange relationship between Shade and his editor is also examined in the notes, though the reader is left to see what Kinbote ultimately does not. A sort of obsessive admiration colors Kinbote's feelings toward Shade, who (despite Kinbote's protests to it) never seems to feel any special sort of warmth toward Kinbote in return.
Though much of the plot is told through the commentary, one should not forget the poem itself. Nabokov, a Russian author who speaks English as a second language, does surprisingly well in writing a vivid, lucid and deeply poetic series of couplets. Each of the poem's four cantos has a different theme, though each ties together beautifully in the end. The first tells the story of Shade's early, awkward childhood, his first brush with death and first experience with the supernatural. The second tells largely of his later years, his wife, and his daughter, who ultimately commits suicide near the end of the canto. The third tells of Shade's search for life after death and his questions about the afterlife. The fourth and last examines his life as it is during the time of the poem, his creative process and his daily life. The final line, which was never written due to his murder, was to have echoed the very first line of the poem: "I was the shadow of the waxwing slain."
Perhaps another interesting factor of the novel itself is the question of whether or not the reader can rely on the commentary of Kinbote himself. While the fictional town of New Wye exists within the context of the story, it is unclear whether the kingdom of Zembla actually exists or is just a figment of the editor's imagination. Likewise, the reader is called to question Kinbote's sanity as early on as the novel's foreword.
The reader is constantly reminded through his odd commentary that Kinbote is not actually a real editor, and as a result, Shade is not real, nor is his poem. This is a great example of metafiction, as the reader is always aware that what he or she is reading is a work of fiction and nothing more.
Regardless of whether or not Kinbote is insane, Zembla is real or Kinbote's story is a work of fiction, "Pale Fire" makes for an interesting pleasure read and great piece to look at closely.