Nabokov's most prominent rhetorical device used in this essay is rhetorical questions. At several points in the essay he asks questions that really don't have a straight-forward answer but he wants you to think about them. For example, "Can we rely on Jane Austen's picture of landowning England with baronets and landscaped grounds when all she knew was a clergyman's parlor?" (Nabokov, Page 1) Nabokov doesn't answer this but wants you to think about whether or not you can rely on novels for historical information. He wants your answer to this question to be "No" but he wants you to come to that conclusion on your own. This is evident because he asks the question but does not answer it. I know that I used this example already but it suits an example of a rhetorical question perfectly.
Another rhetorical device Nabokov uses is imagery. For example, "That speckled creature that bolted across my path may be tamed." (Nabokov, Page 2) Nabokov gives you a good picture of what he is trying to say. You can picture the speckled beast that he is picturing. He is good at using discriptive writing. This just made his essay that much more enjoyable to read.
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