There are many attention-grabbing passages in this lecture written by Vladimir Nabokov. One passage that grabbed my attention discusses the proper way to view a story while not identifying with characters or circumstances. "We ought to remain a little aloof and take pleasure in this aloofness while at the same time we keenly enjoy-passionately enjoy, enjoy with tears and shivers- the inner weave of a great masterpiece." This caught my attention because it sounds a bit paradoxical to be aloof while passionate about something, but it makes sense because the author is saying that while a reader should not relate himself or herself to the main character, he or she should "passionately enjoy" the artistic sense the author has put into the novel.
Another passage that stood out to me was towards the end of Nabokov's lecture. "A major writer combines these three- storyteller, teacher, enchanter- but it is the enchanter in him that predominates and makes him a major writer." I felt that this was true because not all writers possess the talent that gives their writing an enchanting quality, and not every writer can be a "major writer."
Nabokov, Vladimir. "Good Readers and Good Writers." Lecture. 1948. Lectures on Literature. Print.
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