This article by Erik Eklund, which was originally a portion of thesis A Triptych of Bottomless Light: Repetition, Originality and Transcendence in Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire, was first published in Literature and Theology, Volume 36, Issue 3, September 2022, Pages 298–315. It has been slightly revised for style. I: INTRODUCTION Dismantling the pervasive belief that