Pale Fire: Illustrated Sports Illustrated Sports Pale Fire Journal | Page 90

mal, a bit “mad”, but also inventive, passionate, and, perhaps to a nostalgic old
man, “beloved”. This theory is somewhat undercut by Shade’s statement that his
“god died young”, even though the adult Kinbote holds dear to his religion,
which throws the absolute validity of this comparison into question (36). Not to
mention that, as you shall soon see, dear reader, there is another interpretation
of these relationships that is significantly sounder.
Instead, we can look at the music, as well as the novel, from a different an-
gle. Notably, the whole composition is in 6/8 time. This obviously and unam-
biguously references the six main characters of Pale Fire: John and Sybil Shade,
their daughter Hazel, Gradus, Disa, and—of course—Charles. These six charac-
ters reflect and mirror each other in varying ways, an idea conveyed as the melo-
dy progresses and is handed off to be played by different parts, just as threads in
the novel are sewn between different characters.
In the brief introduction, an interplay between the piano and strings intro-
duces us to the dynamic between John and Charles (please see the INDEX for
further explanation). We have already covered the myriad ways Shade and Kin-
bote contrast: in lifestyle, in belief, and in personality, they are almost complete-
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