Nabokov Quote by Vladimir Nabokov
““She was an extravagantly slender girl. Her ribs showed. The conspicuous knobs of her hipbones framed a hollowed abdomen, so flat as to belie the notion of "belly." Her exquisite bone structure immediately slipped into a novel - became in fact the secret structure of that novel, besides supporting a number of poems.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Gift by Vladimir Nabokov, 1938
The description links a woman's physical thinness to the structural framework of a novel, suggesting her form becomes the novel's hidden architecture.
In simple terms: Her slender body mirrors the novel's hidden structure.
Key Takeaway
Notice how physical form can inspire literary form.
Themes
body
literature
structure
Mood
poetic
introspective
Type
literary
descriptive
When to use this quote
- writing
- character design
- visual arts
Key Concepts
metaphor
symbolism
Questions to Reflect On
- How does physical form influence narrative?
- Can a body become a metaphor for a story?
A Different Perspective
Physical descriptions can be overly literal, limiting imagination.
![“...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)
