The way this ends on an odd number so there isn't a final couplet. I think this was my least favourite canto tbh and I'm not sure if I'd like Shade if he was a real person based on some of the dislikes he gives in this section. If the entire poem is a metaphor for life then it makes sense that it is unfinished as that is the case for Shade himself.
Canto Two: That was a horrible way for Maud to die but it's a useful way of exploring the idea of when death can occur. For some people is it when they physically die, or is it earlier than that if they experience cognitive declines and are no longer the person that they used to be? I think this is a concept that's even more prevalent now than it probably was when the book was written tbh and different people will have different opinions on this.
Then we have the tragedy of Hazel as well. It's incredibly sad that John Shade has lost both the woman who raised him and the child that he raised. I think that with losses like that it's understandable that he's contemplating death and the afterlife. There's also his own legacy to think of. When he dies, what is he going to leave behind? There is his wife but maybe she dies before him just like Hazel did. How will Shade himself be remembered and what comes after death? They're super interesting philosophical questions and my answers on that may be entirely different to Nabokov's or anyone else who reads this. I love how subjective literature and existential ideas can be.
Canto Three: The half a shade line made me giggle considering his name. I just feel so sad for him that he's had this near death experience and that he thinks that he has an answer to his question but he's completely misinterpreted any possible shared connection/experience he may have with Mrs Z. It's almost like he's searching for meaning where there is none. I think there are a few ways that this canto could be read. Maybe Nabokov is making fun of those who put so much weight in an afterlife. Maybe he's just simply exploring the human condition and how differently people may approach this topic. I think the lines with the doctor probably lean more towards the latter idea as well and the ideas of beliefs vs science. Shade has had this experience which has given him a certain belief but there's no way that it can ever be tested so the doctor is using tangible evidence to sort of disprove what Shade now thinks.
I think I enjoyed the philosophical debate that I attributed to this book more than the actual text of it but oh well. It made me think and parts of it were beautifully written. Parts of it were a bit considering the MC's views but that doesn't affect what I took from the poem/novel itself. I think extreme loss like what the MC experienced does make you question existence, and a near death experience will do the same. I think the themes explored are pretty universal and timeless and it made me consider my own views and how those might be completely different to someone else. I did enjoy this but I find it so hard to analyse poetry like this considering I haven't needed to in like 13 years anyway this was a 3.75 ⭐ read for me.
