Carolyn Kunin answered a question telling us that it "brings up the rather surprising fact that the plot of Pale Fire is not at all unrealistic. It is certainly more believable than J&H in that the transformation from one personality to the other(s) doesn't depend on magical chemicals - - simply on not terribly unlikely psycho-sexual problems and cerebral hemorrhage." 

 

For months I'd been entertaining her hypothesis concerning John Shade& Kinbote&Gradus taken as one individual but questioning her like some kind of "devil's advocate". 

Suddenly it dawned on me that it is impossible that Shade could also be Kinbote/Gradus. 

 

While I was navigating on the internet from Artic to Antartic, thinking about muscovite snooty-green glass and Kinbote's annoyance with school-boys in rowanspool pullovers I realized that there was no internet at the time "Pale Fire" was written in America.

 

John Shade is a rather provincial American poet. So ... how could he impersonate Kinbote? Psychotic breakdowns never improve one's cultural references and syntax.  

Jansy