Pale Fire Lesson Plan

Discuss the conversation between Gradus and the Soviet agents, Andronnikov and Niagrin

The interactions between Gradus and the quirky Soviet agents are a farce. Extremely important affairs have been placed in the hands of extremely incompetent men. Andronnikov is a name that alludes to Russian history. Andronnikov was a man rumored to be involved with Rasputin, a famous enigmatic figure in late Tsarist Russia.

Nabokov's political views are not well-hidden here: Nabokov's father was very involved in reform movements during the rule of the last Tsar, Nicholas II. A desire for parliamentary reform is not the same thing as a desire for revolutionand certainly not...