Magic.

As Professor Sexson mentioned in class, Nabokov is a very quotable author. Speak, Memory is littered with sentences and phrases worthy of reproduction, though probably not found on a “Random Quote of the Day Generator” widget on even the best blogs. One of these I particularly like is on page 125. Talking about his studies of butterflies he says, “I discovered in nature the nonutilitarian delights that I sought in art. Both were a form of magic, both were a game of intricate enchantment and deception.”

I love the exploration and breaking down of demarcations between nature and art. Here Nabokov says straight away that he was intrigued by the blurring of those lines as well. Not only is it beautiful or wondrous or mind boggling, but it is MAGIC. Nature is Magic and art is Magic and the game that they play is not simple, it is not singular, but rather “intricate” - a spell put on us to enchant and deceive.

I am curious if Nabokov would include memory in this form of magic. Though he, quite passionately, argues that memory, and specifically the action of “probing” childhood memories, is of utmost importance and quite opposite of “nonutilitarian”, I would surely describe his musings of memory as intricately enchanting.

The beauty of memory is astonishing. But that is at its least! Memory is not just beautiful, or intriguing, or valuable, or wondrous, or even enchanting, … it is nothing less than true MAGIC. A portal to the soul.