“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce and “Details of A Sunset” by Vladimir Nabokov: The problem of influence

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the problem of the influence of the American writer Ambrose Bierce on the early work of Vladimir Nabokov. This influence can be traced back to several Nabokov’s texts (“Details of A Sunset”, “The Aurelian”, “Perfection”, “The Eye”), where one can detect plot lines, motives, and images borrowed from Bierce’s paradigmatic story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” The article focuses on Vladimir Nabokov’s short story “Details of A Sunset” (“Catastrophe”), where the influence of Ambrose Bierce is unquestionable. This influence was pointed out by a number of researchers, but the problem has not been thoroughly developed yet. Bierce’s influence on early Nabokov’s work is not limited to this device per se. Both authors follow the respective tradition of Early Romanticism. In both short stories the protagonists set off on a journey that is romantic in its spirit. The mystical epiphany that Nabokov’s character experiences are based on the model introduced by Bierce. Both authors employ romantic clichés, quotes from paradigmatic romantic texts and literary irony. The article also examines the system of literary images that Nabokov borrows from Bierce. It includes the image of a rope, a star, a bridge, and lightning. The parallels between the two works that are being analyzed in this article lead to a conclusion that Nabokov’s short story “Details of A Sunset” (“Catastrophe”) was directly influenced by Bierce.