"I have often noticed that after I had bestowed on the characters of my novels some treasured item of my past, it would pine away in the artificial world where I had so abruptly placed it"
- Vladimir Nabokov
About this Quote
This quote by Vladimir Nabokov speaks to the concept of nostalgia and the power of memories. He is recommending that when he puts a valued item from his past into the artificial world of his novels, it does not have the very same result as it performed in his own life. The item is unable to prosper in the new environment, and instead pines away. This speaks to the concept that memories and nostalgia are powerful forces that can not be duplicated in an imaginary world. Nabokov is recommending that memories and fond memories are special to each person, and can not be recreated in a novel. He is also suggesting that memories and fond memories are effective forces that can never be replaced.
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