Originally published in 1955 by Olympia Press
My
edition: the
Penguin Modern Classics paperback form 2000. I want all of them.
What’s
it about?
Humbert Humbert, a literature
professor, becomes obsessed by twelve-year-old Dolores, whom he calls Lolita.
Why
now?
I needed to read a banned book
for my PopSugar reading challenge and I knew Lolita has been banned so I read the first paragraph in
Waterstone’s and woah...
The
verdict:
Several days after finishing Lolita I’m still not quite sure how I feel
about it. I had to push myself through it at times, some of the language went
over my head occasionally and yet I also couldn’t put it down. It’s been a long
time since a book had me so mixed up!
Humbert Humbert is recounting
his relationship with Lolita for the police, and considering that, the style he
chooses is completely surprising. I don’t think I’ve ever come across prose so
overly-styled, flowery and verging on surreal. Humbert is a literature
professor and self-proclaimed poet and it shows. It’s almost hypnotising in a
way, and I think that’s the point. It occurred to me as I nearing the end of
the novel that maybe he’s trying to hide the horrific decisions he made and
actions he took involving Lolita; distracting the lawyers and detectives from
what really happened. It almost turns him into a slight unreliable narrator, in
a way.
His vision and opinions are
clearly biased and very clouded, much in the way of a sociopath I think. He was
able to justify his incorrigible attentions to Lolita and others that got in
the way of him and his nymphet. Everything he does is a reasonable action to take
in order to protect himself, regardless of the consequences. And the paragraphs
go on for pages sometimes, the sentences a paragraph so you can’t even take a
breath, you just trudge on, sometimes missing things and again DISTRACTION. It’s
fascinating.
I think fascination sums up my feelings
about Nabokov’s classic, actually. It made me uncomfortable, especially when
Humbert was referring to Lolita and other children sexually, though there was
nothing explicitly sexual – everything was implied or glossed over – and how he
described Lolita herself. At the beginning of the novel Lolita is only twelve
years old but through Humbert’s eyes she is seductive, precocious and teasing
and it is profoundly disconcerting. As she aged and developed under Humbert’s
watchful eye his feelings didn’t stop like he expected, though they did adapt
slightly to the changes in Lo. After a particularly dramatic event near the end
of the novel, Humbert seemed to slide into a sort of madness. It took a turn
for the surreal and rambly and the already elaborate language heightened
further and further as the panic about discovery began to set in. So beautifully
done.
Though I had to push myself
through Lolita at times, I really am
glad I read it. It’s fascinating in topic and execution and I’d love to read
more Nabokov just to compare to this. Fascinating.
Still
not convinced?
- CONTROVERSY.
- The language is truly
something to be experienced.
- I want to hear your opinions
on this! Read it and let’s discuss.
Sophie
I tried to read this book once but I didn't get very far with it. It was interesting to read your thoughts on it though!
ReplyDeleteI also tried to push myself through it many times. It was honestly a bit sick, but I appreciate its literary merit. It's a great work and yes, fascinating is a great word to describe it.
ReplyDelete