THE OPPOSITION BETWEEN TRANSPARENCY AND OPACITY IN VLADIMIR NABOKOV’S NOVEL “INVITATION TO ABEHEADING”

Abstract

In this study, the evolution of Nabokov’s chronotope is examined, with particular attention placed on its movement toward a modern mode of narration. Within his Russian-language novels, recurrent émigré themes are especially prominent. “Invitation to a Beheading” stands apart from this context. In it, Vladimir Nabokov transcends the limits of political satire and produces a work that may be regarded as an ontological allegory. The novel offers a successful attempt to articulate an ontological model of human exile.