Nabokov's ADA: The Place of Consciousness

by Brian Boyd

Nabokov's Ada: The Place of Consciousness explores the relationship between the obvious dazzle of Nabokov's style and the unsuspected depths of his thought before focusing on his richest and most surprising novel. This "stunning," "magnificent" first book by "the great man of Nabokov studies," which "provides not only the best commentary on Ada, but also a brilliant overview of Nabokov's metaphysics," has now been updated with a new preface, four additional chapters and two comprehensive new indexes.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, Criticism

356 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 1985

About the author

Brian David Boyd is a University Distinguished Professor at the University of Auckland and a preeminent scholar best known for his definitive work on Vladimir Nabokov. After earning his PhD from the University of Toronto, Boyd was invited by Véra Nabokov to catalogue her husband's archives, leading to his award-winning, two-volume biography, The Russian Years and The American Years. His scholarship on Nabokov remains prolific, encompassing numerous edited volumes, verse translations, and the digital project AdaOnline. Beyond his expertise in Russian literature, Boyd is a pioneer in the field of "biopoetics," exploring the intersections of literature, evolution, and cognition. His landmark book, On the Origin of Stories, argues that storytelling is a biological adaptation rooted in play, applying evolutionary criticism to works ranging from Homer to Dr. Seuss. A versatile intellectual, he has also tackled the biography of philosopher Karl Popper and co-curated major exhibitions on the origins of art. In 2020, his contributions to the humanities were recognized with the Rutherford Medal, the Royal Society Te Apārangi’s highest honor.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am proud of my own name because of two other brian's in the world:
brian wilson of the beach boys
and brian boyd, the nabokov scholar.

boyd's book on ada is simply impeccable. every detail is covered in a concrete way, each thread is chased until its very end, and each reference is triple checked. what is wonderful about this book is that it is not critical, and does not provide a simple "reading" of the book for readers to accept and agree with. i found that it was mainly a series of explanations of things that i either missed entirely or was not educated enough to look up. a glorious resource.

i've read "ada" almost twice prior to reading boyd's book, and i still cant wait to read it a third, fourth, and fifth time.

[Brent Legault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian Boyd, who knows more about Vladimir Nabokov and Nabokov's wonders than anyone (Except perhaps for Nabokov's son Dmitri, who is the approximate age of Updike and Roth and Salinger and who is, if it is to be believed, blogging!Dmitri Nabokov) provides solutions (some hesitant, others confident) to the beautiful mystery of Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle. Now, if I could only make sense of his solutions. . .

To understand nature's design Nabokov would peer into his microscope and count out with patient delight the scales of a butterfly wing. That is what he wants of us: to explore and enjoy his worlds with this kind of precision, word by word. If we are ready to do that, he will reward unstintingly our unstinting curiosity.

That quote alone is worth the price of the book (which was free for me anyway, a gift from my lovely wife, but still). It comes late, though. I felt it could have described Boyd's book as well, the best parts of which were the quotes, long and short, from Ada and elsewhere. And for the patient (or the impatient chapter-skippers) there is the reward of a bitchy coda; Boyd's response to another Nabokovian "scholar."

Here's an extra link for the Ada obsessed: Ada Online

[erich · Rating 4 out of 5]

brilliant but i have problems with boyd consequently defending nabokov like his life depends on it

[Vivian Bookmark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential for understanding Ada. My only issues are Parts Four and Five being republished materials, and Boyd feeling a bit involuted at times, though I feel that may just be on me not being used to more scholarly prose.
Either way, this made me further appreciate my favorite book of all time and the author who wrote it.

[Ann Klefstad · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is not the one I was looking for. It was Ada, or Ardor, I was seeking. a dear text for a thousand reasons no one else could understand except one.