Literary Devices in Spring in Fialta
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Over the course of the story, the weather in "Spring in Fialta," shifts from a "cloudy and dull" start to a "saturated with sunshine" finish. It’s also interesting to look at the hints we get...
Setting
The first question is, WHERE is Fialta? We’ll tell you right off the bat that it’s fictional; there is no "real" Fialta. In the text, we see that it is a fishing village-turned-tourist-...
Narrator Point of View
Like most first person stories, the point of view of "Spring in Fialta" has some weighty ramifications for the way we interpret the text. Because everything is filtered through Victor, and because...
Genre
"Spring in Fialta" is one of Nabokov’s greatest short works. It’s not about action or drama; rather, it’s intricate and carefully orchestrated, combining the most cunning of narra...
Tone
And we make it sound like so much fun. But no, really, the oh-so-good intensity of "Spring in Fialta" lies in the sad, somber attitude of its narrative. Because Victor is looking back on Nina’...
Writing Style
"Spring in Fialta" is almost like a visual work of art. We use the words "mosaic" and "gouache" because, to be quite honest, we stole them from the text. You’ve probably heard the term "mosai...
What’s Up With the Title?
"Spring in Fialta" takes place on a day…in spring…in Fialta. Setting is enormously important to the text, as is the spring-like weather of the town in question, which explains why both...
What’s Up With the Ending?
There are so many pieces to talk about in the ending of "Spring in Fialta," it can seem a bit overwhelming. In fact, the first time we read this story, our reaction was something along the lines of...
Plot Analysis
"Spring in Fialta is cloudy and dull."This famous first line and the following description of damp and misty Fialta form the initial situation. Yes, that’s right – we start off talking...
Trivia
There was a New Wave band in the eighties called Slow Children that did a song called "Spring in Fialta."
Steaminess Rating
This story treats the theme of agonizing love and infidelity in incredibly close depth, but without the graphics. We don’t see the sex in "Spring in Fialta," but we know it’s happening....
Allusions
Literary and Philosophical ReferencesAlphonse Daudet, Fromont jeune et Risler aine (19) – "…while a song of the last century (connected, it has been rumored, with some Parisian drama of...