Spring In Fialta Essay

There are quite a few well tested themes present themselves throughout Nabokovs Spring In Fialta, recapturing the past, doubles, amorous yearning, possessiveness, Russia and the women, exile and lack of security. To tell us of this, he uses several narrative devices, absence of a plot, scrambled chronology and an unreliable narrator. First we are introduced to Victor, A businessman who is on a trip to Fialta, away from his wife and children. Throughout Victors story he recounts the events of a previous visit to Fialta, years ago where he first meets Nina, a woman with whom he has been in love ever since. He recalls theyre first meeting over and over again and the spontaneous meetings that follow. These meetings are recollected in the form of a flashback all centered on the day they met. These meetings allow a parallel to be made between Nina and Russia, every time they come together; Victor wishes to lead Nina back into the past before further discussion of their present lives. He even draws a comparison between this process and the narrative strategies employed in Russian fairytales wherein the already told is bunched up again at every new twist of the story (p.16) This exact approach to storytelling defines the narration structure of Spring In Fialta Victor skews the past in his efforts to recapture memories of Nina stemming from his account of the day they meet for the last time. What holds together these fragments of Victors memory of Nina present a series of clearly arranged details, which mirror and connect with each other. There are scenes, which repeat each other; characters who bridge fragments together, visual clues which plot the way towards their last meeting. Spring In Fialta is a representation of ones lost love told through beautiful words and structure. These few lines illustrate this shown in the beginning of the story: I found myself, all my sense wide open, on one of Fialtas little steep streets, taking in everything at once, that marine rococo on the standand the dejected poster of a visiting circus, one corner of its drenched paper detached from the wall, and a yellow bit of unripe orange peel on the old, slate-blue sidewalk, which retained here and there a fading memory of ancient mosaic design (p.14) All of these statements and details has great significance as to what is to come in the story. The marine souvenirs that Ferdinand, Ninas current husband purchases later in the story. It describes a piece of marble that imitates a mountain showing a black tunnel at its base..with a compartment for pens in the semblance of railroad tracks(p.29) This description mirrors Victors account of his journey to Fialta by a train which passed through mountainous country side and tunnels. This is used as a way to shown a Double theme between victor and Ferdinand; all of these clues lead us to Ninas death- as it is one of the circus trucks, which the car crashes into. Colors are also used to represent this; the yellow of Ninas scarf, the orange peel on the sidewalk. Almost all other commentators on his story take Victor at face value. He tells us of a love affair with this woman with whom hes only shared some time with, yet its lasted on and off for many years. Victor feels as if he is telling us the truth, but we are only given just enough information within his account to recognize that he is failing to understand the world he is in. Especially regarding Nina, the way he misrepresents people and their motives. This is emphasized in the way we see him gawk over Nina; its quite difficult to distinguish what type of relationship they really do share. It seems to be romantic in nature; yet right from the beginning we are offered clues that it is In fact a very one-sided affair. On the first occasion that they meet, even though Victor knows that Nina is engaged at that time, kisses her, which she reciprocates but only very briefly and then for the remainder of time ignores him. On the second meting, he assumes a degree and makes others aware of it aswell: at once it became clear to everyone, beginning with her, that we had long been on intimate terms (p.21) This pattern of Victors behavior is repeated throughout the story, to the extent that he in some ways becomes possessive of her. When he meets her with her husband and his friends he says that doubtless two or three of the lot had been intimate with Nina (p.26) again with her husband, Victor is still physically demanding of her when he mentions when they had all stopped at the post office that he hastened to lead her away. Movements mark all these interactions and physically expressions granted towards one another, she adjusts to his stride, the facial expressions of marked confusion. Later having pried Nina away from her husband for just a moment where he proclaims a sense of love to her, Nina reacts clearly disgusted. This is exactly what their relationship is, based upon no evidence of true reciprocity. Nevertheless the love and compassion we feel from Victor as he describes the events that lead up to Ninas death are so heartfelt that I couldnt help but identify. The ability for someone to represent so much to someone that just the presence alone is enough to desire their love. The flashbacks of his love for Nina throughout the story are so elegantly woven into the narrative, its verbal texture, and repetitions all so strongly related to its themes. The absence of history throughout the story makes it a flawless unity of time, place and action. Which follows the theme that essentially Nina is mortal through Victors vision of her. For his love for her withstands her absence at any point. This is the entirety of the story. Works Cited Spring In Fialta, Vladimir Nabokov, class handout