Anatomy of a Short Story Nabokov's Puzzles, Codes, Signs and Symbols [Paperback]

Since its first publication in 1948, one of Vladimir Nabokov's shortest short stories, Signs and Symbols, has generated perhaps more interpretations and critical appraisal than any other that he wrote. It has been called one of the greatest short stories ever written and a triumph of economy and force, minute realism and shimmering mystery (Brian Boyd,Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years).

Anatomy of a Short Storycontains:

the full text of Signs and Symbols, line numbered and referenced throughout
correspondence about the story, most of it never before published, between Nabokov and the editor ofThe New Yorker, where the story was first published
33 essays of literary criticism, bringing together classic essays and new interpretations
a round-table discussion in which a screenwriter, a theater scholar, a mathematician, a psychiatrist, and a literary scholar bring their perspectives to bear on Signs and Symbols

Anatomy of a Short Storyilluminates the ways in which we interpret fiction, and the short story in particular.

ContributorsAcknowledgmentsINTRODUCTION

Breaking the Code: Nabokov and the Art of Short FictionYuri LevingA PRIMARY TEXT:Heart Signs and Symbols Vladimir NabokovFORUM: High pressurePsychosis, Performance, Schizophrenia, LiteratureHal Ackerman, Murray Biggs, John Crossley, Wayne Goodman, Yuri Leving, and Frederick White

CRITICISMPART ONE: Bone StructureFrameworks Vladimir Nabokov's Correspondence with The New Yorker regarding Signs and Symbols, 1946-1948Olga VoroninaLost in Revision: The Editing of Signs and Symbols for The New YorkerJohn MorrisConsulting the OracleMichael WoodPART TWO: Vascular SystemSignsArbitrary Signs and SymbolsAlexander N. DrescherThe Patterns of DoomBrian QuinnWays of Knowing in Signs and Symbols Terry J. MartinA Funny Thing about Signs and Symbols John B. LaneNamesYuri LevingPART THREElSœ