What themes of mortality appear in The Original of Laura?

In his final, unfinished novel, The Original of Laura, Vladimir Nabokov explores the theme of mortality through the character of Philip, an obese intellectual. The narrative depicts Philip as he approaches his own death through a process he terms "auto-dissolution," which is described as a form of willed erasure.1

This concept serves as a final reflection on mortality within Nabokov's body of work, illustrating a deliberate, conscious departure from existence.1