The course centers around the first part of Nabokov’s work, the so-called “Russian Nabokov” (1920-1930). Students will read and analyze the early novels, such as Mashen’ka, Luzhin’s Defense, and Invitation to a Beheading, as well as a selection of the best of Nabokov’s short stories. We will examine Nabokov’s encrypted texts against the background of European literature, film, and art, as well as in the context of Russian and Soviet culture. Students will discuss the writer’s artistic and philosophical games, and his deceptive and intricate prose technique. Students will write weekly short papers and a final paper.