homage and theft. He seems to take this point further in the commentary, where Charles states that the reader will need“ to do [ his or her ] own research” as to the quote’ s source, saying he cannot find it in his text [ 3 ]. This seems to poke at the concept of citation in general, giving further insight into this world where plagiarism is fluid. These elements prepare the reader to see the work in its totality in the context of these themes, and set the stage for further dissection.
Because Pale Fire is structured so ambiguously, it can be read in myriad ways, and that includes in comparison to the work it got its title from. That said, here is one feasible interpretation: Timon is mirrored in the character of Charles. Both characters go from king to commoner, and both flee their homeland. Furthermore, both suffer a sort of betrayal. In Timon, this is obvious: the lack of generosity from his“ close” friends leads him to view them as less than“ dogs”. With Kinbote, it is a bit more subtle. After supplying his friend Shade with the great“ wealth” of his stories of Zembla, he hopes to see a return in the form of his poem. Instead, he is met with a poem that mentions Zembla only a paltry one time, leaving him a“ weary and sad commentator”. In both cases, the two men flee to a far-off hideaway, in the former case a cave, and in the latter, a rural cottage. This mirroring of
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