Intro to Speak, Memory Vladimir Nabokov

Personal Narrative -A true story about a memorable person, event, or situation in the writer’s life. -Writers tell personal narratives from the first-person point of view, using the pronoun I. **Can you think of any personal narratives we’ve read this year?

Allusion A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. Writers use allusions to add layers of information to a literary work. Example: Mr. Price was quite a Romeo in his youth.

Recognizing Author’s Purpose An author’s purpose is his or her reason for writing, such as to inform or to persuade. In a personal narrative, for example, an author might want to reflect, inform, and entertain. To identify purpose: 1. List important details 2. Note your reactions to the details 3. Write the author’s possible reasons for including the details.

Vladimir Nabokov Born April 23, 1899 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Nabokov’s were known for their high culture and commitment to public service. Vladimir’s father was an outspoken opponent of antisemitism. In 1919, following the Bolshevik revolution, Vladimir’s father took his family into exile.

Four years after going into exile, Vladimir’s father was assassinated at a political rally The Nabokov household was trilingual Vladimir composed the first crossword puzzles in Russian Vladimir came to the United States in 1940 and taught at Wellesley, Harvard and Cornell. Vladimir died in Switzerland in 1977