How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #4
...the first creatures on earth to become aware of time were also the first creatures to smile. (1.1.7)
This is a weird little moment in the text, and seems—we think—to say something about the relationship of time to joy. Maybe that's why those immortal vampires are always scowling.
Quote #5
It is surprising what method there was in my bedtime dawdling. True, the whole going-up-the-stairs business now reveals certain transcendental values. Actually, however, I was merely playing for time by extending every second to its utmost. (4.3.4)
As children, we don't have much control over our own schedules. Maybe that's why kids throw so many tantrums. For Vladimir, his "bedtime dawdling" was his own little way to control time the best he could.
Quote #6
I confess I do not believe in time. I like to fold my magic carpet, after use, in such a way as to superimpose one part of the pattern upon another. (6.6.6)
Do you think Nabokov is being serious here, saying he doesn't believe in time? We think he might instead be saying this: stories (with their patterns and coincidences) tell us a lot more than days of the week and months of the year.