The paper deals with the apperception of Zhukovsky’s poetry in Nabokov’s works. Involved for the present study are Nabokov’s allusions to Zhukovsky (both revealed earlier and just discovered by scholars who explore Nabokov) in the novels, philological and autobiographical prose by the famous writer. The author of the present research focuses on Nabokov’s «systematizing» manner which is rooted in his general aesthetic aspiration to systemize, create «collections», taxonomies and intellectual charades. Study is made of the artistic practices in the 20th century literature and Zhukovsky’s musical figurativeness. Also, the paper elucidates the regularities of Nabokov’s
perceptional strategy of the 1910s – 1960s expressed in his lyrics, in the novels «Invitation to the Execution», «Lolita», «Pnin» and in his works on literary criticism.