Dead man Quote by Vladimir Nabokov
““Remember that what you are told is really threefold: shaped by the teller, reshaped by the listener, concealed from both by the dead man in the tale.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Gift by Vladimir Nabokov, 1938
Communication is filtered through both speaker and listener, while the original truth is hidden by the dead narrator.
In simple terms: Stories are altered by tellers and hearers, obscuring the original.
Key Takeaway
Question who shapes the narrative.
Themes
communication
interpretation
truth
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- storytelling
- media analysis
- historical research
Key Concepts
Narrative theory
subjectivity
memory
Questions to Reflect On
- Who is the true author of a story?
- How does listener bias alter meaning?
A Different Perspective
Even the dead narrator can bias perception.
![“Scully,' [Mulder] said, his voice quiet and serious, 'with the... unorthodox explanations I often find when studying the evidence, I know you're always skeptical-but every time you're at least fair to me. You respect my opinion, even when you don't agree with it.' He looked at his hands. 'I don't…” quote by Kevin J. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f31/kevin-j-anderson-9807_appreciation_scully-mulder-said-his-voice-quiet-and-s_1673991.jpg)
![“...under no circumstances would he [Humbert Humbert] have interfered with the innocence of a child, if there was the least risk of a row.” quote by Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0f0/vladimir-nabokov-198_children_under-no-circumstances-would-he-humbert_16228.jpg)
