Title
A Source of Character Names in Pale Fire
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Fall 2007
Abstract
In Pale Fire, Charles Kinbote reveals (reliably or not) that he is the author of “a remarkable book on surnames” (Vintage 267). This is not entirely surprising, given the many glosses of family names that appear throughout the commentary. While Kinbote’s book on surnames is fictional, Nabokov must have gotten his own information on surnames from an actual source. As I will show, Nabokov clearly obtained much of his information on surnames from Sabine Baring-Gould’s Family Names and Their Story (London, Seeley & Co., 1910)
Recommended Citation
Roth, Matthew, "A Source of Character Names in Pale Fire" (2007). English Faculty Scholarship. 15.
https://mosaic.messiah.edu/english_ed/15
Comments
Originally published as:
“A Source of Character Names in Pale Fire.” The Nabokovian 59 (Fall 2007): 5-9.