Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- How would Pnin be different if it took place in France? Or pretty much any country where many different languages are spoken normally? Would Pnin get the same treatment as he does in the English-dominated United States?
- Would Pnin exist if the Russian Revolution never occurred? Why or why not? How does the Russian Revolution affect nearly every portion of Pnin?
- Why is Pnin separated into seven chapters that have their own mini chapters inside? How does that change how you read the text?
- Does this structure make it feel episodic, like something you'd find on Netflix? How do you think Nabokov decided to separate the text?
- In Pnin, the main character constantly looks back at the past. Why do you think Pnin focuses on that time in his life? Which is more important to the story, the past or present?
- On that note, how does the way the past is depicted through hallucinations change the way we understand it versus if we simply were able to see the events first-hand?
- Why do you think Nabokov gives VN such a baroque (a.k.a., ornate and weird) writing style? What relationship do you think the narrator's masterful, and almost overboard use of language has with Pnin's limited abilities?