Abstract

In my final paper I will discuss Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem “The Erlking” as it relates to Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Pale Fire (particularly in regard to Hazel). I will incorporate the many mistranslations of the title of the poem and Kinbote’s misinterpretations of the substance of the poem. I will discuss the erlking’s role as a scavenger in the woods on a scavenger hunt for humans and compare this to the reader’s role in a similar scavenger hunt through the commentary of Pale Fire.

I will show Gradus’ connection to “The Erlking.” I will delve into his representation of and similarities to the erlking as death and how Gradus has several inhuman qualities—his physical description, his journey through the prose, and his invisibility to all except Kinbote. I will also discuss his connection to the father in Goethe’s poem. Gradus, like the father, is on a journey and is hurried on that journey by death. Kinbote, as the son, is the only one who can see the killer approaching.

I will discuss the importance of the alder tree to both Goethe’s poem and Nabokov’s novel—its mythological connections and its contribution to the characters and novel as a whole. The bark and leaves of the alder tree can be used to make red and greed dyes, so I incorporate the use of these two colors throughout the novel. I will also discuss the use of trees in general as they appear throughout the commentary (“and ‘tree’ in Zemblan is grados”).

To tie everything together, I will discuss Hazel’s connection with “The Erlking.” Her death is as mysterious to her parents as the son’s death is to his father. She is the lost child; she is the erlking’s daughter; she is the tree.