I had not thought Nabokov would deliberately apply Freudian "repression " and "unconscious motivations" as essential elements for the unraveling of any novelistic plot, independently of his fascination with neurological and psychiatric disturbances and his almost too frequent references to them.
Dear Jansy,
My theory lead me to assume that the genesis of Pale Fire was VN's desire to recreate for the modern reader the mystery and thrill that Jekyll and Hyde had for its first readers. The success of the tale especially in theatrical and filmed dramatizations has meant that the mystery can no longer be experienced with the original, since Jekyll-and-Hyde has entered the language.
By the way, medical interest in multiple personality disorders pre-dates Freud. The names Charcot and Janet come to mind. I highly recommend Ian Hacking's book, in part on the history of pre-Freudian psychology, "Rewriting the Soul: Multiple Personality and the Sciences of Memory."
Carolyn